When might the Giants get Jaxson Dart on the field?
The New York Giants schedule is now known, and we’re all speculating about what their record will be.
But there’s another storyline hanging over the whole season that we need to talk about. That is, of course, the development timeline of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. The Giants traded up from 34th overall to take Dart 25th overall, with the intention of developing him as their quarterback of the future.
While Dart has played a lot of football, starting 41 games over his collegiate career, he’s also the youngest quarterback in his draft class. It’s also widely acknowledged that he needs development before he’s ready take over the reins of the franchise.
The Giants brought in both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston as veterans to lead the offense. They did so with the intention of creating an environment for a young quarterback to learn and grow without the pressure of having to be “The Guy”.
Life, however, doesn’t always go according to plan. So while the plan may be for Dart to develop in the shadows while Wilson and Winston play the games, that might not be how things actually play out. Whether it’s due to injury, poor performance by the veterans, or (dare we dream?) Dart developing far faster than expected, we might see Dart starting for the Giants before 2026.
When might that be?
Week 5 – at the New Orleans Saints
The Giants face a (potentially) brutal start to the season with games against the Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Chargers. It’s entirely possible that they start the year with an 0-4 record and the door to the playoffs shut by October. In that case, the Saints present the best early entry point if the Giants want to insert Dart into the lineup.
The Saints could be fielding a rookie quarterback of their own after the retirement of Derek Carr. Right now their quarterback room is populated by rookie second-round pick Tyler Shough, 2024 fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler, and journeyman Jake Haener. While Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave are certainly dangerous players, and the Saints have talent on their defense, this game isn’t as daunting as the two following it (vs. the Philadelphia Eagles and at the Denver Broncos).
Even if Dart isn’t forced onto the field as a starter, this might be a game in which the Giants get his feet wet if they’re up at the end of the game.
Week 9 – vs. the San Francisco 49ers
One of the concerns about starting Dart against the Saints (apart from the fact that he might not actually be “ready”) is that it’s on the road. Even if the Giants are forced to play Dart before they’d prefer to do so, starting him at home would likely be preferable than in one of the toughest places to play in the NFL.
With that in mind, we spin forward a month to the Giants’ game against the 49ers.
This is by no means a “gimme” game, even with the 49ers potentially taking a step back while they reload their roster. The Giants’ defense should be able to frustrate the 49ers’ offense and avoid putting too much on the rookie quarterback. Dart would have his work cut out for him against the 49ers’ defense, particularly with the return of Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator.
But considering the rest of the Giants’ schedule, there aren’t many opportunities against weak defenses. At the very least, Saleh is likely to run a Wide 9 and zone based defense, which could create opportunities for Dart to use his mobility to scramble or get the ball to Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, or Tyrone Tracy in space.
Week 13 – at the New England Patriots
There’s a temptation to wait until the Giants’ Week 15 home game against the Washington Commanders.
This week, however, is tempting for a couple reasons. First is that the Patriots are a rebuilding team. They’re likely better than they were a year ago with the development of Drake Maye as well as the myriad additions they’ve made in free agency and the draft.
(Not to mention with Mike Vrabel coaching.)
But while they may be more talented and have an exciting young quarterback, these also aren’t the Dynasty Years Patriots. This is one of the Giants’ most winnable games on the schedule, at least on paper and while New England should have a good defense, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Giants have the advantage on offense.
This game also has the advantage of being right before the Giants’ Week 14 bye. That could give the Giants the opportunity to get Dart’s feet wet, then give him the full bye week to work on what he learned in the game.
Week 17 – vs. the Las Vegas Raiders
Ideally, the Giants will be waiting until Week 18 to play Dart — if they do at all this year. However, the schedule makers saw fit to have the Giants close out the season against the Dallas Cowboys.
Putting Dart against Dallas’ aggressive and opportunistic defense could lead to problems. Likewise, it’s possible that their offense could once again be one of the NFL’s more prolific with the return of Dak Prescott and the addition of George Perkins. Forcing Dart to try to keep up with Prescott while being hunted by Micah Parsons isn’t ideal.
Against the Raiders, however, we have another relatively “winnable” game for the Giants.
They’ll be better with Geno Smith under center and Pete Carroll guiding the ship. But they are still one of the less talented teams in the whole NFL. The Raiders’ defense gave up more points and had fewer takeaways than the Giants’ did a year ago. If the Giants can keep Maxx Crosby from wrecking their whole day, Malik Nabers vs. Darnay Holmes is a matchup New York has to like.
The Giants’ defense will have their hands full with Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty, but this might just be the game to circle as Dart’s most likely start.
