It’s safe to say New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart surpassed all reasonable expectations this summer during training camp and the preseason.
Dart quickly grasped head coach Brian Daboll’s offense, while impressing offensive and defensive teammates alike, while completing 32-of-47 preseason passing attempts for 372 yards and three touchdowns, without turning the ball over in three exhibition appearances.
The question now becomes, in a season where Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen’s respective jobs are very much on the line, did Dart do enough for the Giants to alter course from their steadfast plan to start Russell Wilson Week 1, and adopt a patient posture with the No. 25 overall pick’s development?
“I think Dabs has said it a million times,” Schoen told reporters. “Russ is our quarterback. That’s what we’re rolling with and the timeline will be the timeline however it works out.”
New York’s plan is to rely on Wilson’s veteran stability, banking on his propensity for pushing the ball deep downfield sparking an explosive offense built around Malik Nabers‘ field-stretching ability and lean heavily on a defense that has the potential to boast one of the most dominant pass rushes in the sport.
But, that doesn’t mean Dart’s strong preseason didn’t send a clear message reverberating throughout the organization.
“With rookie quarterbacks,” Schoen said. “I would always say how long it’s going to take them to get up to speed and be able to go out and execute. It’s one thing to be able to learn it in the classroom and regurgitate it but to go out and actually execute it and do it quickly and correctly, I would say Jaxson impressed me in terms of – not that he couldn’t do it or we didn’t think he could, but impressed me in terms of how quick he was able to pick it up and actually go execute and play fast. I would say that was something that you don’t typically see with rookie quarterbacks at times and he was able to do that.”
Dart appears ahead of schedule, and should Wilson falter or the former Ole Miss standout forced into action, he has the confidence of his teammates that he’ll deliver.
“He’s made some plays and throws [during camp],” Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton told Heavy early in training camp. “But, more so, our system’s a lot. It’s a lot to learn. It’s a lot to operate. It’s a lot to mentally think about before the ball is even snapped, and he’s obviously learning that now.
“It was probably more than he was expecting but the way he’s handle it has been the thing that’s made you think ‘okay, this kid has the chance to be pretty special in this league.’ Some people get overwhelmed and they go into their shell and you have to pull them out, but he’s done a good job of … even though he’s learning, he doesn’t take it too hard, if he does miss something, he always bounces back the next day and is ready to go.”
Joe Schoen Details Giants’ Tommy DeVito Decision
GettyNew York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito during the 2025 preseason finale.
The Giants suddenly have an experienced quarterback room buttressing Dart’s upside, and to hasten the former Ole Miss standout’s development.
However, with Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Dart in the fold, it marked the end of Tommy DeVito‘s tenure in East Rutherford, after the Giants waived the 27-year-old as part of this summer’s final roster cuts.
We’ve got three on the active roster,” Schoen told reporters, of the Giants‘ decision to move on from DeVito. ‘So, it can be difficult sometimes, depending on how the roster shapes up – where you have some needs, where you decide to go deep in certain positions and it just worked out that… We’re happy for Tommy. He was claimed by New England. I’m not sure how many other teams put in claims. We’ll be able to probably see that later today or tomorrow, but we would love to have him back. He was claimed and we wish him nothing but the best.”
DeVito appeared in 12 games for the Giants, completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 1,358 yards with eight touchdowns to three interceptions before being released this week and being claimed off waivers by the Patriots.
Giants’ Joe Schoen Gives Take on Jaxson Dart’s Chances of Supplanting Russell Wilson