Giants' Brian Daboll could make surprising Jaxson Dart decision for Week 1

New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart  has had an impressive start to his NFL career this summer. Has his performance forced the Giants to alter their plans for the signal-caller?

For an article published on Monday morning, Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic named Dart as one of the big winners of the preseason. It sounds like there's at least a chance that Dart could serve as the Giants' primary backup behind starter Russell Wilson for their regular-season opener at the Washington Commanders on Sept. 7.

"We’ll see," Giants head coach Brian Daboll said when asked if Dart will enter September as the club's QB2, per John Flanigan of SNY. "He’ll keep practicing and doing the things he needs to do to keep improving. Backup quarterbacks, we’ll have a number of them, so we’ll continue working with all of those guys."

Over his three preseason appearances, Dart completed 32-of-47 pass attempts for 372 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 52 yards and a score on six carries.

That said, Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown suggested ahead of Big Blue's preseason finale versus the New England Patriots that New York does not intend to trade veteran backup Jameis Winston. Some outsiders assumed that Brown's comment showed Daboll and Co. haven't changed their minds about developing Dart as an unused signal-caller through at least a portion of the upcoming season. 

"Being a rookie QB is not easy," Daboll added. "Being a quarterback in general is not easy. He knows he has a lot of things to work on, but he’s made progress every day. I’m glad we drafted him. I’m glad he’s our guy."

Baumgardner noted that Dart "looks ready to start" meaningful games after he showed "confidence over the middle, [got] rid of the ball quickly and displayed an ability to process quickly" across the team's three exhibition contests. If Daboll agrees with such assessments, he could decide to put Dart in a position where the 22-year-old may be a play away from taking snaps at Washington's Northwest Stadium.

Wilson is a 36-year-old quarterback who missed the first six games of the 2024 season due to a lingering calf injury. Concerns related to his ability to stay healthy realistically could cause Daboll to sit Dart as the Giants' QB3 at least until New York's home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 21.