New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart's Growth Needs to Come Organically

The New York Giants traded up to draft Jaxson Dart in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft after signing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency.

The developmental plan when drafting Dart was that he would sit behind Wilson, the starter, and Winston, the second-string quarterback. That would leave Dart as QB3 to start, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Dart overtaking Winston at some point in 2025.

With Wilson on a one-year deal, which probably won’t be extended after this season, there is a world in which Dart and Winston compete for the QB1 role in 2026. But there is also a world in which Dart could pass Winston on the depth chart long before 2026.

For Dart to pass Winston on the depth chart, I think it’s more about him catching up mentally than his physical ability. Dart comes from a very “college-like” offense at Ole Miss, which he executed well.

But now that he’s with the Giants, the playbook is fr more complex due to the various “what if?” options that a quarterback’s progressions call for. Dart must demonstrate to the coaching staff that he knows the entire playbook before he can even begin to challenge on the depth chart.

Once that aspect is done, it comes down to executing it in the field. It is worth noting that just because a quarterback knows the playbook doesn’t mean he can easily execute it on the field. We saw that with former starter Daniel Jones, for instance.

With Dart, one of the key things he’ll need to show once he gets to the actual execution part is his decision-making under pressure. Last year, Dart completed 46.1% of his pass attempts when under pressure, tossing three interceptions.

There are concerns about Dart’s transition from Ole Miss, but my feeling about the situation has always been that he mastered the offense in Oxford. The offense may have been different, but he did everything he was asked to do masterfully.

Dart should be able to learn the Giants’ playbook front and back throughout the summer to hit the ground running in training camp and the preseason. He’s under no pressure to get on the field anytime soon, so his development can come about organically.

Dart will likely get preseason snaps, and depending on how well he does, some might call for him to be promoted up the depth chart. But it’s important to take things in small doses and also remember that, in all likelihood, Dart will be playing against defenders who probably won’t be on an NFL roster in the fall.

May 10, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) throws a pass during rookie minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | John Jones-Imagn Images

Time will be the most critical factor, as chemistry with receivers and command of the offense will be crucial in determining Dart’s readiness. Physically, he can do anything an offense asks, but he must learn to command and lead the offense.

One of the other main areas where Dart will need to develop is making full-field reads. At Ole Miss, the offense was so dependent on quick reads and RPOs that he wasn’t asked to go through full progressions.

Head coach Brian Daboll has said there is a plan for Dart’s development, though he didn’t dive into many details. I would like to see the Giants take a similar approach to Dart’s development as we saw the Patriots take with Drake Maye to give him significant practice reps with the starters.

During the 2024 season, when Maye was still Jacoby Brissett’s backup, Maye took 30% of the reps with the starters to get mentally up to speed and comfortable throwing to starting receivers. The problem for Dart with the Giants is that once the regular season begins, most of the reps will go to Wilson, with the leftovers going to Winston.

Dart can also take over the QB2 job (barring injury) if the Giants trade Winston. With the retirement of Saints quarterback Derek Carr, some have wondered if there’s a conversation to be had about sending Winston back to New Orleans, where he spent four years on the roster.

That’s an option that I’m against, just because it would mean sacrificing great quarterback depth right now for what would likely be a late-Day 3 return, which is not enough of a return to justify losing that depth, especially for a team that has felt what quarterback injuries could do to a season.

And not for nothing, but if the Saints were to seek a trade for a veteran quarterback, one would think Kenny Pickett of the Browns would make more sense since new Saints head coach Kellen Moore had Pickett in Philadelphia last season.

JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA! Follow and like us on Facebook. Don't forget to check out our YouTube channel. And if you want to send a letter to our mailbag, you can do so here.

More New York Giants Coverage