An impressive preseason debut on Saturday could be the beginning of Jaxson Dart's rise in the New York Giants' depth chart.
The first-round rookie quarterback completed 12 of 19 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown while leading the Giants to three consecutive scoring drives in the second quarter of Saturday's preseason 34-25 win over the host Buffalo Bills.
Impressive as Dart was, it wasn't surprising to Giants head coach Brian Daboll.
"Just about what I thought he would do," Daboll said after the game. "Efficient, effective, aggressive, confident in the pocket. Some stuff we can work on, but he's doing good."
In an outing that could inch him closer to becoming Russell Wilson's primary backup, Dart highlighted his day with a gutsy 29-yard strike to Lil'Jordan Humphrey for the Giants' first TD of the afternoon. The rookie stood in the pocket despite Bills defensive tackle T.J. Sanders breathing down his neck and eventually tagging the QB just after he delivered a perfect ball. The fiery 22-year-old was quick to shake off the hit and celebrate his first NFL score alongside his teammates.
Dart, who added a team-high 24 yards on three carries, proceeded to lead the Giants on consecutive scoring drives to finish his day, continuing to fire throws decisively while finding ways to avoid pressure in the pocket -- highlighted by a 19-yard scramble for a first down.
Though Dart's debut made an impression, it wasn't perfect. The Ole Miss product's only fruitless drive of the afternoon was his first one and it came against the Bills' starting defense. Buffalo nearly picked him off on a throw that was batted down at the line. Dart also missed a few throws to open receivers
Of course, the rookie's preseason debut was preceded by Wilson's first showing in a Giants unform. The veteran QB played one series, completing 6 of 7 passes for 28 yards to get the Giants near the red zone before a pair of consecutive penalties by left tackle James Hudson halted the opening drive. Graham Gano nailed his first of three 50-plus yard field goals on the day to make it a scoring effort.
With Wilson already named the starter to begin the 2025 season, Dart is in the running for a backup role that is presumably up in the air.
Jameis Winston came in to begin the second half and had a solid day, completing 7 of 11 passes for 62 yards and a TD, though the veteran was fortunate to have a would-be interception negated by a Bills penalty.
Tommy DeVito, the only returning QB for the Giants in 2025, went 10-of-14 passing for 73 yards a TD during his fourth-quarter showing.
While there is still plenty of sorting left to do over the next two preseason games for Daboll to figure out who will be the backup QB, Dart's first outing was a good start for his cause to win the job.
Perhaps even more importantly, it was an even better exhibit for the future of the Giants franchise.
