New York Giants coach Brian Daboll praised rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart for his performance this preseason. File Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo
Coach Brian Daboll heaped praise on Jaxson Dart after the rookie completed his first preseason, saying he is glad the New York Giants drafted the quarterback.
“We’ll keep on building him,” Daboll told reporters Thursday in East Rutherford, N.J. “I think [quarterbacks coach] Shea Tierney and Kaf [offensive coordinator Mike Kafka] have done a really good job with him. He’s done a good job.
Credit the player, first and foremost. Being a rookie quarterback is not easy. Being a quarterback is not easy. He knows he has a lot of things to work on, but he’s made progress every day. I’m glad we drafted him and I’m glad he’s our guy.”
Dart completed 6 of 12 passes for 81 yards and a score and ran for 23 yards in his preseason finale, a 42-10 win over the New England Patriots. The No. 25 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft completed 23 of 47 (68.1%) throws for three scores and ran for 52 yards and a score over three preseason appearances.
“When I step on the field, I expect to play at a high level,” Dart said. “I have the confidence that I’m going to be the best player on the field every time I touch it.
“I kinda just expect to play good. That’s just the standard I have for myself.”
BOOM! Just like that!!!
: PRIME pic.twitter.com/tQuBoaeELr— New York Giants (@Giants) August 22, 2025
Daboll announced before training camp that Russell Wilson would be the Giants’ starting quarterback. Jameis Winston was listed as a second-string option, ahead of Dart, on the Giants’ first unofficial depth chart. Tommy DeVito, who is in his third season with the Giants, was listed last.
That order remained the same going into the Giants’ final preseason game, but Dart drew the start.
Wilson started the Giants’ first two preseason games. New York finished those games in the same order of their quarterback rotation: Dart, followed by Winston and DeVito.
With Wilson resting Thursday, Dart drew the start. Winston entered the game after Dart had the wind knocked out of him with about 2:50 remaining in the first quarter.
Dart took off on a 23-yard run on a 4th-and-4 conversion attempt. He split two defenders, but landed hard on the turf. Dart also fumbled on the play, but the Patriots were flagged for defensive holding.
“I think I’ve learned a lot about preparation going into games, especially at this level,” Dart said. “I’ve just felt more and more comfortable each week and I think that attributes to the time I’ve put in to trying to learn the system to the best of my abilities.
“I’ve also learned every guy on the field is an elite player at what they do. You can’t let one mistake lead to another one. Little things in your game will get exposed.
“I think through my time in camp, I’ve been able to learn and grow from those things. When I come out on the field, I’m able to correlate that to the game, the things I’ve learned. The biggest thing is preparation and routine.”
BIG first down to set up the TD
: PRIME pic.twitter.com/VOrSJPc3iA— New York Giants (@Giants) August 22, 2025
Winston completed 4 of 8 passes for 47 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown toss to wide receiver Jalin Hyatt on the first snap after replacing Dart. He also threw a second-quarter interception.
DeVito, who could have been playing his final game with the Giants, completed 17 of 20 passes for 198 yards and three scores.
“Every time you go out on the field, you never know which one is going to be your last,” DeVito said. “Having the roller coaster like I’ve had in the past, with injuries, playing performance, whatever it is. Anytime I go out there I try to put my all out because you never know which one is going to be your last.”
Hyatt totaled three catches for 38 yards, including his score. Fellow Giants wide receiver Gunner Olszewski caught three passes for 68 yards.
Patriots backup Ben Wooldridge, their third-string quarterback, completed 10 of 20 passes for 82 yards, one score and an interception.
Daboll enlisted Dart and fellow rookie Abdul Carter, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, to serve as Giants captains for the pregame coin toss as another test in their development. He hinted that Dart could soon have that role in a regular basis.
“I put him out there for the coin toss today and he’s running up to me, ‘What do you want me to do again? I’ve never done this before,'” Daboll said of Dart. “Just the last second I told him, you’re going out there, right when I got here today, a few minutes before we went out there. So he’s thinking about that.
“Just try to do things that may come up one day with him.”
NFL teams must trim their active rosters to 53 men by 4 p.m. EDT Tuesday.
The Giants will take on the Washington Commanders in their regular-season opener at 1 p.m. EDT Sept. 7 in Landover, Md. The Patriots will host the Las Vegas Raiders at the same time in Foxborough, Mass.
