The New York Giants QB room is one of the more fascinating groups in the NFL. Russell Wilson is a Super Bowl champion and Jameis Winston never fails to entertain the masses with his play on the field or with his commentary when standing in front of a microphone.
Yet, Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart has made such a positive impression throughout the preseason that one NFL writer believes his future under center in the organization could come much sooner than people think.
Giants QB Jaxson Dart Predicted to be Named the Starter by Week 5 from The Athletic
Dan Duggan of The Athletic sees some similarities in the dynamic between Russell Wilson and Jaxson Dart to that of the situation back in 2019 with Eli Manning and Daniel Jones, which has boldly predicting Dart will be the starting quarterback by Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season.
Duggan wrote, “Giants brass has told everyone who will listen since the draft that Russell Wilson is the unquestioned starting quarterback and the plan is for first-round pick Jaxson Dart to develop behind the scenes. It sounds awfully familiar to 2019 when the plan was for Eli Manning to start with Daniel Jones on the bench … and then Jones took over after an 0-2 start. Manning was a franchise icon with far more equity than Wilson, who is on his fourth team in five years. If the Giants stumble against a killer early schedule, they won’t wait long to replace Wilson with Dart, who looked ready in the preseason.
In three games of preseason action, Dart went 32-of-47 for 372 yards to go with three touchdown passes and no interceptions. His efficiency and protection of the football through the air helped generate a passer rating of 113.1, which is certainly an encouraging sign for your rookie signal caller.
Dart appeared comfortable and in command of the Giants‘ offense, which stands to do nothing but add fuel to the fire for those who believe the Ole Miss product should be starting under center as soon as possible.
The Pros and Cons of Starting Jaxson Dart Early in His Career
The arguments both for and against starting a rookie quarterback feel pretty cut and dry.
If you force a rookie quarterback into the starting lineup before he is ready on a bad football team, then it could do permanent damage to his development.
Yet, the best way for a rookie signal caller to get experience to learn from is for him to see live game reps to adjust to the speed of the NFL.
The real question is whether or not Dart is ready to take over under center. He looked great in the preseason, but playing against backups and vanilla defensive schemes aren’t going to be the norm once he takes over under center on a full-time basis in the regular season.
Dart flashed enough upside that Michael Fabiano of Sports Illustrated actually named him a fantasy football sleeper entering the season.
Fabiano wrote, “Dart should get starts during his rookie season on a Giants team that’s not expected to compete for a playoff berth. The problem is we don’t know when that will happen, as Russell Wilson is currently entrenched as the starter. Still, Dart is a player to watch in the coming weeks.”
Dart has the physical tools to be a starting quarterback in the NFL and the Giants have a tough schedule to start the season. It is not that farfetched that Dart could be named the starter sometime in October.
Giants Predicted to Make Change at QB Early in the Season