OC Mike Kafka Provides Encouraging Update on NY Giants Rookie QB Jaxon Dart

It’s been a spring and summer of ups and downs for New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, the 25th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. But according to assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Dart is right about where the team believed he might be at this point in training camp. 

"I'd say Jaxson is right on schedule from what we'd expect in terms of just understanding the offense, continuing to grow and learn every day," Kafka told reporters on Wednesday before the team hit the practice field. 

"Every day we're presenting him -- not just him but all the quarterbacks -- with different situations and some situations you've probably never seen before. Those have been good to build off of, whether it's in two-minute, a third-down situation, or a certain blitz look that we're getting.

“He's able to kind of grow and learn from those examples and now as he starts banking more and more looks, more and more reps -- we do a lot of this throughout the walkthrough as well, he can kind of see -- now he's starting to put the picture together a little bit better and cleaner for a rookie."

Dart has mostly had good days, as Kafka said. However, there are also those times when he remains everyone that he’s still a rookie, particularly when he holds the ball too long while searching for an open receiver, only to end up “sacked” or at times trying to force balls into tight windows.

But that’s what practice is all about, learning from both the good and the bad. And starting this weekend, Dart figures to take the next step in his development when the Giants visit the Buffalo Bills for the preseason opener.

Head coach Brian Daboll hasn’t announced specifics about how he plans to distribute snaps among his players, let alone the quarterbacks, but he did confirm that Dart will play in Saturday's preseason opener.

The Giants are believed to be hoping to have Dart redshirt for his rookie season, allowing him to sit and learn behind veterans Russell Wilson, the starter, and Jameis Winston, the backup. Tommy DeVito, who appears to be the odd man out in the group, has also been praised by head coach Brian Daboll for helping Dart acclimate to life as an NFL quarterback.

What the coaches will be watching