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Jaxson Dart says ‘no light that’s too bright’ ahead of NFL preseason debut

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New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll confirmed on Thursday that rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart will play in Saturday’s first preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.

Dart is listed as QB3 for the Giants heading into the start of their preseason, behind veteran starter Russell Wilson and backup Jameis Winston. While Daboll said Dart would play, he was hesitant to reveal too much about the planned rotation at quarterback.

“We’ll give (young players) as many reps as we can give them, and we’ll see how (Dart) does,” Daboll said. “We’ll do what we think is best relative to all the quarterbacks and every position. Have an idea of how long he’ll play this game, but again, we’ll have practice here and then we’ll sit down and finalize it.”

Dart was taken with the 25th overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. But the arrivals of Wilson and Winston this offseason signaled that Dart would likely be looking at a developmental year.

Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said earlier in the week that Dart is on track as he makes the transition from Ole Miss to the NFL.

“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 said. “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 2-minute, whether it’s 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.

“Now he’s starting to put the picture together a little bit better and cleaner for a rookie.”

Asked later on Thursday about his first NFL action, Dart said he was “stoked” for the opportunity and wasn’t going to be afraid of the moment.

“At the end of the day, it’s the same game you were playing when you were a kid, so just enjoy that,” Dart said. “Compete, don’t leave any regrets out there on the field, and don’t ever take this moment lightly, and there’s no light that’s too bright to play in.”

The Giants’ first preseason game against the Bills is set to kick off Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. The Giants return to action next Saturday against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. They close out the preseason at home against the New England Patriots on Thursday, Aug. 21.

Derek Peterson

Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.