Jaxson Dart didn’t hesitate.
And for Giants fans, that alone is noteworthy.
They saw so much tentative, inept play from Daniel Jones over the past six seasons. They’ve long since been ready for something different, something bolder, something better.
Will Dart — the Giants’ first-round rookie quarterback — provide that in 2025 (and beyond)? That remains unclear. Plenty of hurdles remain before he becomes this long-suffering franchise’s next Eli Manning.
But during Dart’s MetLife Stadium debut Saturday night — in the Giants’ second preseason game, against the Jets — everyone in blue had to love what Dart did on his second possession, to open the second half.
Having finished the first half with a three-and-out while (notably) playing with the starters, Dart lined up for second down at the Jets’ 20-yard line early in the second half. Then he spotted a wide-open Greg Dulcich sprinting over the middle — and fired the ball to him for a touchdown.
Dart trusted his eyes, uncorked a quick throw and made it all look simple. He was 5-of-6 passing on that drive, completing his final five throws for 62 yards, with connections of 12 and 19 yards to open that stretch.
He wasn’t finished.
On the next possession, he dove for a 1-yard touchdown — while again playing with (and against) backups. Dart excelled during that drive, too, completing all eight of his passes for 45 yards.
So Dart on Saturday night put together a second straight encouraging preseason showing and stat line: 14-of-16 passing, 137 yards, two touchdowns (including one rushing) and a 123.2 rating.
And the kid has yet to turn the ball over — a major issue for Jones — through partial action in two preseason games, though he almost got picked off last week in Buffalo.
Bottom line: The Giants should love what they’ve seen so far.
Though Russell Wilson surely will start in Week 1 — exactly three weeks away, on Sept. 7 at Washington — Dart’s past two games ought to shorten the leash on the fading veteran ... at least a little bit.
If Wilson struggles early, Dart’s legit performances against the Bills and Jets will only fuel fans’ cries for him to start over Wilson, who quite obviously is not a long-term solution for the Giants.
Dart fared well in his preseason debut last week in Buffalo. Then he got a surprise first-team rep Saturday night, during the Giants’ fourth drive. It came on the drive’s second play and yielded a 30-yard gain by Theo Johnson, after a short completion. Wilson re-entered immediately.
So Wilson played almost all of the Giants’ first four drives, which produced a touchdown (set up by Wilson’s beautiful 80-yard deep ball), a three-and-out, a four-and-out, and another four-and-out — which fizzled at the Jets’ 35-yard line when Wilson threw a deep pick into the end zone, after undrafted rookie Beaux Collins appeared to run the wrong route.
Dart has not received any first-team reps in training camp practices to date. So it was notable that he played the Giants’ entire fifth drive with the starting offensive line. Unfortunately for Dart, the drive was a three-and-out bust that wrapped up the Giants’ uneven first half.
After a 4-yard run by Devin Singletary, Dart took a deep shot — but came up well short, largely because he got hit as he threw, thanks to leaky protection (which is nothing new for the Giants, of course). Dart tried to scramble on third-and-6, yet got pulled down from behind for no gain.
But with those two excellent touchdown drives to open the second half — before he headed to the bench — Dart quickly buried the three-and-out.
How soon until he buries Wilson on the depth chart?
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Darryl Slater may be reached atdslater@njadvancemedia.com.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.