Did the Giants Hit a Bullseye With Jaxson Dart, or Will This Be Another Swing and Miss?
The Giants made a controversial pick in April, trading up to take Jaxson Dart with the 25th pick of the first round. After six seasons with Daniel Jones, nobody can blame Giants fans for being skeptical of yet another first-round QB that wasn’t seen as an absolute home run pick. Call me preseason-pilled, but through two preseason games, Dart has looked like he might be the guy for the Giants.
He started out against the Bills in week one of the preseason, throwing for 154 yards and a touchdown, then followed that up in week two against cross-locker room foe the Jets with 137 yards passing and two more touchdowns (one on the ground). In these two games, he’s led the offense with poise, completing over 74% of his passes, while averaging 5.8 per carry and only taking one sack.
Maybe even more importantly than the stats, Dart is picking up trust with the coaching staff. Brian Daboll put Dart in to replace starter Russell Wilson for one play in the second quarter, where he threw a screen pass to tight end Theo Johnson that went for 30 yards. Daboll later said that he did that without telling anyone on staff to test Dart because, “You don’t know what’s going to happen … just be ready to go when your name is called”. Putting a rookie that you’ve hitched your career to in a situation that nobody is prepared for isn’t something a coach would do unless they trust that player to execute, which speaks volumes about how the Giants’ head man views his rookie QB.
Daboll went on to say after the game that Dart has been growing in every way throughout his first offseason with the team, both on and off the field, mentioning his leadership and moxie. Adding to that, Dart seems to be saying all of the right things in the media (which can’t be said for all rookie QBs this year), an essential quality for a QB in the New York market. Dart’s diamond chains, West Coast look, and Star Wars-inspired face paint are a big change from Daniel Jones’ more insurance agent vibe, but it may be a welcome one if he can back it up with strong play when he gets the opportunity.
And he will get an opportunity. Despite Daboll and co. staying adamant that Russell Wilson is the starter, Russ has not looked amazing in either preseason game, although in limited action, and he also hasn’t played a full season in five years. In a year where Daboll and GM Joe Schoen’s jobs are on the line, they can’t afford to let a veteran who’s past his prime flounder around while a rookie who could save their jobs sits on the bench.
I don’t expect a Jayden Daniels-type rookie season from Jaxson Dart, but I do expect him to start early in the season and make the most of those starts. I also expect him to be good enough that he’s the starter going into 2026 and beyond. This could all come crashing down after this week’s game against the Patriots, but for now, Dart is giving Giants fans hope that they may have an answer at QB, something they haven’t had in over half a decade.