Jaxson Dart debut grades: Giants QB makes case to move up depth chart in first preseason game vs. Bills

Teddy Ricketson

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Jaxson Dart debut grades: Giants QB makes case to move up depth chart in first preseason game vs. Bills image

Jaxson Dart played six games at USC as a freshman before transferring to Ole Miss and finishing his college career with the Rebels. It was there he developed into a consistent quarterback, and it resulted in his getting drafted by the Giants in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

Dart joined a quarterback room consisting of incumbent Tommy DeVito and free agent signees Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson. Head coach Brian Daboll said in the preseason that Wilson was the team's No. 1 quarterback to begin the 2025 season, but Dart is clearly the QB of the future.

Dart will get his first taste of NFL game action as the Giants take on the Bills in their opening preseason game, and a good first impression could go a long way to early and/or extended playing time as a rookie.

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Here's how Dart fared in his first preseason game against the Bills. 

Grading Jaxson Dart's rookie debut

Grade: A

Wilson got the start, but he played only one drive. Dart took over on the second drive and played the majority of the first half. He threw his first career touchdown to Lil'Jordan Humphrey in the second quarter. It was against the Bills' backups, but it was a 29-yard strike to the end zone. Dart also had a beautiful escape from the pocket, showing off his dual-threat abilities. 

You could say that Dart needs to fine-tune his decision-making, but to find flaws in his first performance, you have to really nitpick. Some of his inaccurate passes and rare questionable decisions could easily be attributed to simply being a rookie and playing in his first form of NFL action. He lived up to the franchise's future quarterback hype in his first game. 

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Jaxson Dart debut stats

  • Completions: 12
  • Attempts: 19
  • Passing Yards: 154
  • Touchdowns: 1
  • Interceptions: 0
  • Carries: 3
  • Rushing Yards: 24

Dart looked great. He was accurate, and his teammates helped him out when he would check down, turning the dump-offs into big gains. After almost throwing a pick in the second quarter, Dart threw an absolute dot to the end zone for a touchdown to Humphrey. 

Dart played all but the first drive in the first half. The Giants went into halftime up 16-10, and the rookie led drives that resulted in 13 of those points.

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Jaxson Dart debut highlights

Dart's first career (preseason) touchdown.

Dart's first career pass. He went 3-4 on his first drive. 

Dart was pressured in the backfield and stepped up, slipped, and still managed to pick up the first down with his legs. 

An impressive aspect of Dart's game is how comfortable he looked under center, especially for it being his first career game. 

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Teddy Ricketson

Teddy Ricketson is a Digital Content Producer at The Sporting News. He joined the team in 2024 after spending the last three years writing for Vox Media as part of its DK Nation/Network team. Teddy does his best to support the South Carolina Gamecocks and Carolina Panthers, but tends to have more fun cheering on the Atlanta Braves. In his free time, he loves spending time with his wife, Brooke, and their two dogs, Bo and Hootie.