Jaxson Dart's first preseason is officially in the books. After one quarter of action against the New England Patriots, that's a wrap. There’s no other way to put it: he has been exceptional. The New York Giants might’ve officially found their next franchise quarterback, and that’s awesome.
Throughout his three preseason games, Dart never looked like a rookie. Yes, he had rookie mistakes — holding onto the ball too long and missing some throws — but make no mistake, he looks poised, confident, and ready. The moments just don’t look too big for him.
He seemingly got better and more comfortable as the games went on. In his first game against the Bills, he looked great. His second against the Jets, he looked great. And then Thursday night against the Pats, he once again looked... great. There’s no denying the G-Men have something special on their hands. Now it’s officially countdown time until Giants fans see Dart in live-game action when the games actually matter.
4 eye-opening conclusions from Jaxson Dart's final preseason game vs Patriots
He's built for prime time
It’s only the preseason, but it’s still Thursday Night Football. It’s still Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit on the call. It’s still prime time. And man, did Jaxson Dart impress early and often. On TNF, he completed his first pass to Gunner Olszewski for 50 yards. He followed that up with a laser to Greg Dulcich to put six on the board on his first drive against the Pats.
The 22-year-old rookie finished the night 6-for-12 for 81 yards and a touchdown. The 50% completion rate wasn’t impressive, but there were at least three drops, if not four. So let’s not blame the rookie for receivers playing like they had feet for hands.
Dart left the game up 14-0 after the first quarter. The rookie's final preseason numbers looked like: 32-of-47 for 372 yards and four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing).
Defensive coaches beware
First, it was Sean McDermott. Then, Aaron Glenn. Thursday night, it was Mike Vrabel. And what do all three head coaches have in common? They’re all supposedly defensive maestros. The rookie QB made them look like run-of-the-mill coordinators.
Seriously, not one of them had an answer for Dart in three preseason contests. Is he going against backups? Yes. Is he playing with backups? Yes. So does it really matter? No. As evidenced by his incomplete deep ball to Jalin Hyatt early in the game, there isn’t a throw he’s too afraid to make. And that’s the confidence factor, which can’t be taught.
Everyone's going to eat
The most underrated part of his preseason performances is how little he’s relied on just one or two targets. He showed that perfectly in his first two drives against New England, targeting five different receivers in his first seven attempts.
Dart’s been finding weapons everywhere, not afraid to mix it up and put the ball in the hands of open players. One bond that feels a bit too strong to ignore, however, is his connection with tight end Greg Dulcich. The pair has had a touchdown in each of the past two games. Something to monitor as roster cuts approach.
A DART FROM DART
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He's still just a rookie
For all the great Dart has shown Giants fans, he’s still a rookie. The mistakes caused by inexperience reared their ugly heads against the Patriots — and that’s okay. It would be objectively weird if he wasn’t going through some growing pains.
Right now, his biggest issue seems to be holding onto the ball too long. He took a sack on his third drive after dancing around in the pocket and not throwing it away. It’s a fix several rookies work through as they adjust to the faster pace of the pro game. He also needs to learn how to slide and get down instead of taking unnecessary hits that send him to the medical tent.
Please never do that again.
But this is exactly why Big Blue brought in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. The two veterans will mentor and lead while Dart develops on the sideline, inching closer to his inevitable start date.
Through three preseason games, it’s hard not to be excited by what the rookie’s shown. After years of waiting — for something... anything different — it finally feels like it’s in motion. And it already looks better than anyone could’ve expected. He has the makings of a superstar.