Giants' Brian Daboll adds to Jaxson Dart hype during mandatory minicamp

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen have insisted throughout the spring that they want rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart to learn about life in the NFL while serving as a backup. 

Dart is part of a quarterback room that features presumed starter Russell Wilson, backup Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito. While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Daboll gave the Dart hype train a little extra momentum after Giants players reported for the start of the club's two-day mandatory minicamp.

"He’s done excellent," Daboll said about Dart, as shared by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "He’s picking up the information. It’s really good to have Russ and Jameis and even Tommy — because Tommy’s been in this system for a few years here and is kind of the head statesman in terms of that and all the adjustments that take place, or the calls."

While DeVito has worked with Daboll since 2023, it's possible the 26-year-old has taken his last meaningful snap as a member of the Giants. Wilson is comfortably atop the Big Blue depth chart in the closing days of spring, but Daboll theoretically could turn to Winston if the Giants suffer a handful of losses over the first two months of the upcoming season. 

"[Dart has] fit right in with those guys," Daboll added. "He’s smart. He’s aggressive with the football, which I like. And then, the true test will be once we start and there’s live hitting in preseason games and things like that. But he’s progressed — since he’s been here, to where he is now, he’s made good improvement."

As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had Wilson as a massive -750 betting favorite to start New York's Week 1 game at the Washington Commanders on Sept. 7. To compare, DraftKings had Dart as a +1300 underdog to be in the lineup on that Sunday afternoon. 

Such forecasts suggest there's little Dart can do during the preseason to leapfrog both Winston and Wilson on the depth chart before Labor Day. As Simmons pointed out, Daboll and Co. want Dart to "make steady incremental progress as a rookie in 2025" while Wilson plays. 

That said, one wonders if the Giants' quarterback situation could become more interesting if it's deemed in August that Dart is ahead of schedule regarding his overall development.