EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – One play into the New York Giants’ fourth possession of their second preseason game, Brian Daboll called in Jaxson Dart without warning.
“Serious?” Dart asked, before making a throw that turned into a 30-yard gain and jogging back to the sideline, with Russell Wilson returning. It was all about putting the rookie quarterback in a situation he could face sooner or later in the NFL.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen,” Daboll said. “Just be ready to go when your number’s called.”
Dart passed that test and has made a strong first impression as a pro since the Giants traded back into the first round to draft him as their potential QB of the future. Completing 13 consecutive passes and 14 of 16 total on Saturday night against the Jets should give the organization and its fans plenty of optimism about what is to come, but it has not changed the plan for Wilson to start and Dart to wait in the wings.
“Russ is our starter, and we’re going to keep developing Jaxson,” Daboll said. “We have a plan. … We just have to keep working with him and understand there’s going to be a lot of downs. I know there’s some ups right now, but there’s going to be a lot of downs and we just got to keep growing and communicating, just keep getting better.”
Daboll, who is going into his fourth season coaching the Giants after getting the gig in part because of his work in Buffalo to develop Josh Allen on the path to becoming league MVP, insists there’s a roadmap being followed. He is not exactly forthright about what it looks like.
In exhibition game No. 2, it included not just one snap but an entire drive for Dart with the first-team offense. Why? “Because that was part of the plan,” Daboll deadpanned.
Whatever the plan is, and whenever Dart gets his first NFL start, the 22-year-old Mississippi product seems to be on board.
“They’ve done it with so many other quarterbacks. I trust them in the process,” Dart said. “I have great guys around me, great coaches who have won and done it at the highest level, so I just look forward to learning each and every day.”
Wilson echoed the other side, saying he’s willing to keep teaching Dart what he has stockpiled from playing more than a decade in the league, including winning the Super Bowl at what is now their home stadium in the Meadowlands.
“I’m never shy about giving information and talking about it,” Wilson, now 36, said after his own impressive preseason game that included an 80-yard pass play to undrafted free agent Beaux Collins. “I think (Dart has) done a tremendous job. He definitely has worked at it every day. He works at it every day, and he asks the right questions. That’s what I enjoy about him.”
Daboll appears to enjoy working with Dart, clearly along with general manager Joe Schoen and college scouts seeing enough that they liked to give up assets to use the 25th pick on the 6-foot-2 righty signal-caller. His stance continues to be that the Giants are trying to “help Jaxson be the best quarterback he can be,” without many details on what that entails.
Part of it is tempering expectations. Barring injury, Wilson will lead New York’s offense onto the field for the season opener Sept. 7 at Washington and keep that role for some time. The Giants are trying to exercise patience with Dart and play the long game.
“We spent a lot of time with him, have a lot of confidence in the young man,” Daboll said. “He’s done a good job for us since he’s been here in every area you could do — off the field, on the field, leadership, moxie, intelligence — but it’s early. We’ve played a couple preseason games against probably some vanilla looks but he’s making strides every day and that’s all you can ask of any other young player.”
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