New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart is on pace in his development as Big Blue gets set for its first preseason action Saturday against the Buffalo Bills.
"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," offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said on Wednesday, via the team’s official website. "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 two-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 and now as he starts banking more and more looks, more and more reps -- we do a lot of this throughout the walkthrough as well, he can kind of see -- now he's starting to put the picture together a little bit better and cleaner for a rookie."
Dart is listed as QB3 heading into the first preseason game, behind starter Russell Wilson and veteran Jameis Winston. However, the rookie has handled most of the second-team reps since camp opened.
The Giants haven’t indicated how much Dart, or any of the QBs, will play Saturday in Buffalo.
Preseason action will be vital for a rookie like Dart to show his development against a truly live defense. Even if it’s against backups or players who won’t make a roster, and even if the defense is vanilla, the reps versus an opponent who can actually hit him will help indicate where the rookie is in his development.
Some first-year players come out rattled; others, like Jayden Daniels a year ago, looked calm and collected from their preseason snap.
We’ll caution against making sweeping statements after Saturday’s performance. You’ll remember that C.J. Stroud threw an interception on his first-ever preseason drive in a rough debut for the Texans. That didn’t stop him from having one of the best rookie seasons in memory.
"Like any position, just operating within the confines of the offense and going out there and playing confidently, being decisive, command the huddle," Kafka said on his expectations for the rookie this weekend. "I think for Jaxson, for a young player -- I know from my experience, it was getting young guys who probably never played as well -- he's out there calming them down and having great poise and great confidence, and then just going and playing football. It's a game you love, and you know, you've been playing it for a long time. My biggest piece of advice is just go out there, enjoy it, play, have fun and go be aggressive."
Dart shining in the preseason would provide the first true push to make it a genuine QB competition in New York -- as Wilson once did as a rookie in Seattle.