The New York Giants are ushering in a new era at quarterback. They overhauled their quarterback room this offseason, signing a pair of reliable veterans in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.
But it was their selection of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart at the back end of the first round of this year’s draft that added extra intrigue in the Big Apple.
With Wilson and Winston ahead of Dart on the depth chart, the immediate expectation was for the rookie quarterback to take his time, to sit, and to grow behind the scenes as a backup quarterback before taking over late in the season, or even as late as next year.
However, that expectation seems to be shifting.
NFL insiders are convinced that Jaxson Dart will take over as the starter sooner rather than later
ESPN national NFL analyst Adam Schefter recently indicated that the Giants’ rookie could be named the team’s starting quarterback sooner rather than later
“The Giants would like to be as patient as they can with their rookie first-round draft pick, Jaxson Dart, and go with Russell Wilson,” Schefter said this week on ESPN’s Get Up.
“But let’s keep in mind that once before (Giants head coach) Brian Daboll and the Giants’ general manager, Joe Schoen, were in Buffalo and the plan there was to be very patient with Josh Allen. He was called on to start a lot sooner than anybody expected.”
NFL Network insider Daniel Jeremiah recently backed up the sentiment, stating that he thinks Giants fans will see “a lot” of the team’s rookie quarterback this season.
“I think he has a chance to play pretty darn early this year,” Jeremiah told Eisen. “You just kind of listen to the words of Brian Daboll, and you get the sense that this was his guy. He’s invested in him, and he seems to really like him. He had Josh Allen, and once they got him in there, they were able to learn through some of the mistakes and get to a really good place.
“It sounds a little different the way he’s talking about [Dart]. To me, that makes it sound like something that this isn’t a red shirt year for him, as they hand the ball to Russell Wilson for a full season. I think we’re going to see a lot of Jaxson Dart this year.”
When predicting how soon Dart will take over as the starter, Jeremiah circled a date within the second month of the regular season.
“Look at that Week 6 to Week 7 10-day gap there after the Thursday night game against Philly,” Jeremiah pointed out. “At Denver in Week 7, that’s my early prediction.”
Fellow NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport also recently indicated that Dart’s debut could come sooner rather than later.
“You listen to everything Brian Daboll says, you get an understanding of how far along Jaxson Dart is, and where you think he’s going to go,” he said. “It’s clearly a matter of ‘when,’ not ‘if.”
Dart will almost undoubtedly receive playing time this season. The question is how soon he will be on the regular-season field.
Giants HC Brian Daboll could be eager to turn things over to Dart
Schefter, Jeremiah, and Rapoport all had one common denominator in their reasoning behind expecting Dart to play a lot this season: head coach Brian Daboll.
The Giants’ fourth-year head coach is widely regarded as one of the league’s brightest offensive minds and best quarterback developers, as he receives much credit for the development of Buffalo Bills’ reigning MVP Josh Allen.
Daboll spoke with the media during OTAs, stating that Dart has impressed him and is already progressing nicely in his development.
“He’s done excellent picking up information,” Daboll said. “It’s really good to have Russ and Jameis. All the adjustments that take place with the calls, he’s fit right in with those guys. He’s smart [and] aggressive with the football, which I like. The true test will be once we start with live hitting and preseason games. But he’s progressed since he’s been here to where he’s made good improvement.”
Ideally, Russell Wilson plays well, the Giants are winning games, and there is no rush for Dart to get on the field. However, with Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen potentially on the hot seat this season, there could be pressure to get the rookie on the field if the season gets off to a slow start.
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