The young rookie quarterback for the New York Giants, Jaxson Dart, is showing confidence heading into his first preseason game. Dart is eager to prove his worth at Highmark Stadium against the Buffalo Bills, without fear of making mistakes.
“I am not afraid. When I go out there, I am going to play the game that I know how to play… I think if you are going to play with fear as a quarterback, you shouldn’t be out there.”
Jaxson Dart
Dart is likely to get an early opportunity in Saturday’s game, as New York’s stars, including quarterback Russell Wilson, are not expected to participate in the first of three preseason games.
The Giants will have joint practices next week against the New York Jets, their city rivals, and then preseason games against the Jets and the New England Patriots later this month. Dart is likely to get playing time in all three preseason games.This week will mark the first time the Giants and their fans will see the first draft pick in a live professional game environment. Despite being only a few months into a new offense and playbook, Dart craves the bright lights of game day.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I don’t think you can be an elite competitor if that’s not your mentality, if that’s not how you approach everything. As a child, you see the stars on the biggest stages. That’s what you remember forever. I think it’s always been something I’ve admired and want to make my way into.”
Dart, 22 years old, pointed out that his job is to “earn the trust” of the coaching staff.
He admitted there might be some nerves before the contest. Dart’s family will travel to see him in his first NFL game. But once he gets on the field, that’s when he gets in his zone and can shut everything out.
Dart and Abdul Carter, the third overall draft pick, will be among a group of Giants rookies making their professional debut.
“It’s important for all the young guys to get out and experience live action in NFL games,” the coach said. “It’s the first one. It’s something they’ll always remember too… We’ll give them as many reps as we can. And we’ll see how [Dart] does.”
They know it’s not going to be perfect. Dart has experienced the usual ups and downs of rookies in training camp. He feels that he has grown and improved as the summer has progressed, even noticing that things have slowed down for him in recent weeks.
“The more you play, the better you get, at anything you do,” general manager Joe Schoen said recently. “The more he plays and gets those live reps and can get out in front of an NFL crowd, the speed of the NFL and continue to improve his timing, anticipation and execution… There will be mistakes. Get rid of them, hopefully, in the preseason.
“Again, the more laps you do, the better you’ll be. I’m excited to see him play.”
Dart was included as third in the first unofficial depth chart this summer, behind Wilson and Jameis Winston. It was something notable considering that Dart has done most of the second team reps in training camp, ahead of Winston and Tommy DeVito.
DeVito, an undrafted free agent in 2023, knows how important the preseason can be. He needed to play well as a rookie just to earn a spot on the practice squad.
Dart said the advice DeVito gave him was simple.
“Go and have fun,” he said.
The Giants start the regular season on September 7 against the Washington Commanders.
