Game film shows how Giants' Jaxson Dart is developing ahead of schedule

On Monday, Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer mentioned that New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart "is ahead of where a lot of analysts thought he’d be developmentally." Dart "was ready to be the starter in Week 1," but the Giants didn't want to sit the rookie behind veteran Russell Wilson. 

On Tuesday, The Athletic's Ted Nguyen pointed out that the game film from Dart's performance in the Giants' 34-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6 suggests that New York's coaching staff may have made a mistake by not starting him in the first week of the season.

Analyst names "most impressive" part of Jaxson Dart's performance vs. Eagles

"What was most impressive Thursday was his command at the line of scrimmage," Nguyen wrote about Dart. "One of the biggest challenges facing Eagles coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense is deciphering their pre-snap disguises and movements. It’s not just safety rotations and coverage disguises; shifting the fronts can give the offensive line issues in run blocking and pass blocking. Dart used the hard count throughout the game, especially on third down, to get the Eagles defense to show its hand."

Dart looked more like an NFL-ready quarterback than a project for the future as he completed 17-of-25 passes for 195 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions against the reigning Super Bowl champions. The 2025 first-round draft pick also rushed for 58 yards and a score on 13 carries in front of a prime-time audience to improve to 2-1 as Big Blue's starter.

As for Wilson, he recorded zero red-zone touchdown passes over his three starts before he was benched in favor of Dart. In the Week 1 game against the Washington Commanders, New York's defense held Washington's offense to 14 points until Deebo Samuel rushed for a 19-yard touchdown halfway through the fourth quarter, securing a 21-6 win for the hosts. In Week 3, Wilson heard boos from Giants fans as he played poorly in a 22-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jaxson Dart may already be ahead of schedule

Perhaps Dart serving as Wilson's primary backup for a few games helped the 22-year-old realize he could handle being the CEO of an NFL offense. That said, the information shared by Nguyen and Breer could lead some Giants fans to believe the 2-4 team would be 3-3 or even 4-2 if the club had named Dart its Week 1 starter following the preseason. 

"The control Dart showed behind the line of scrimmage and in utilizing all the tools in offensive coordinator Mike Kafka’s system pre-snap is highly encouraging," Nguyen continued. "Dart could have invigorated the Giants with just his athleticism and play outside of structure, but the progress he showed Thursday night on the mental side of the game is a sign he could develop into a top-tier signal-caller."

The Giants next play at the Denver Broncos (4-2) on Sunday. As of Tuesday afternoon, ESPN BET had New York as a 6.5-point road underdog for that matchup.