In a landscape where rookie quarterbacks are more often than not thrown straight to the fire, the New York Giants are taking an old-school approach with rookie Jaxson Dart. Despite taking the quarterback in the first round, New York's coaching staff is electing to bench Dart for the foreseeable future. It's the approach that most teams did back in the day.
A big reason for this approach is their coaching staff and who they've worked with. Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka handled Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City. Mahomes sat behind Alex Smith for most of his rookie year, only becoming a full-time starter in 2018. Of course, Mahomes turned out to be arguably the greatest quarterback of his generation, which many credit to his time sitting on the bench.
In a recent feature by ESPN, Dart talked about his experience from the sidelines. The Giants rookie said that he's been having fun seeing what veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to prepare for games.
“It's fun because I'm able to take time to watch those other quarterbacks around the league and kind of see the things that they do at a really high level,” Dart said.
Dart has been the Giants scout team's primary quarterback in practice. That means he's tasked with emulating their opponents in practice so the defense has an idea of what to expect. This week, Dart will moonlight as Mahomes in practice as the two 0-2 teams face off on Sunday.
Most quarterbacks nowadays make their first start in Week 1. That strategy has had varying results. There are success stories: Jayden Daniels is the most recent example, but players like CJ Stroud and Joe Burrow started from Week 1 of their rookie seasons. Meanwhile, players like Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, who sat for most of their rookie years, are getting rarer by the day. Motivated by the Chiefs QB's success, Kafka is implementing that same approach with the Giants rookie.
The lingering question, of course, is when Dart will make his inevitable first start for the Giants. The calls to start him quieted after a bounce-back game from Wilson in Week 2. However, another bad game from the Giants starter will definitely fire up the campaign once again. Dart has already made sporadic appearances during the regular season, with Daboll and Kafka sending him in for a play or two.
