With just a few more hours remaining until we see the New York Giants suit up in meaningless football, the hypotheticals have started to fly. Head Coach Brian Daboll announced Thursday that first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart will make his debut in the first preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.
The only lineup nugget that Giants coach Brian Daboll dropped in advance of Saturday night:
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) August 7, 2025
Rookie QB Jaxson Dart will play.
How much? When? What other QBs will play? What other players will be in the lineup?
All TBA. pic.twitter.com/FG7sSNaZdH
Dart's appearance won't be the only headline, but it will certainly be the most followed. The cornerback battle between Deonte Banks and Cor'Dale Flott is sure to get attention, as is the starting right guard spot between Evan Neal and Greg Van Roten.
While those battles will be interesting, none have the consequences of Dart becoming Big Blues' next franchise QB.
Jason Dart's succes could have major ripple effects on the NFC East
This is a huge deal for not only the landscape of the Giants' upcoming season, with Russell Wilson presumably the starter and Jameis Winston in the backup role, but also the entirety of the NFC East.
It's no surprise Tarringo Basile-vaughn of NFL Mocks selected the rookie as NY's biggest X-factor, saying: "If he is able to give the offense that spark, it could drive the team’s needs going into the 2026 NFL Draft, especially if Dart shows enough to make the team and fans believe he is the guy."
It is no secret that this division is a brutal one, with the reigning Super Bowl Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, a playoff-ready roster in Washington, and the forever hopeful Dallas Cowboys. The G-Men might have an ace up their sleeves to pull themselves out of the bottom.
And that is on the potential of Dart. If he can put together a great impression in Buffalo, continues throughout the rest of the preseason, and maintains that drive until his opportunity comes up again, he can be a difference-maker. Philadelphia and Dallas do not have a safety net in place for their current QBs, but Washington seems to have found their franchise-thrower in Jayden Daniels.
But, first, it is the Wilson and Winston show, and Dart has to be a sponge in that QB room. The timeline for Dart to take the reins is unclear, but if this season is another in a long line of disappointments, give the kid a shot to let it rip out there.
Dart's already been on the record of saying he's consulted with Josh Allen on how to run Daboll's system. Fans can only hope he's picked up some pointers.
Big Blue has the hardest strength of schedule of the entire National Football League in 2025, and that spells disaster. Improvements were made in the offseason, on paper, and only time will tell if they will make this team actually improve. But if Wilson and Winston cannot get the job done, and if Dart shines this season, that path back to the playoffs might have been made clear.
Dart can be a valuable asset in the future, and it all starts on Saturday in upstate New York.