Just How Early Could Jaxson Dart Start?
There is a distinct difference between drafting a quarterback in Round 1 and Round 2.
For the New York Giants, that difference for now is No. 34, No. 99, and a 2026 third-round. But it will also manifest itself in the kinds of pressure facing both Dart and the Giants.
Advertisement
First-round passers get second chances that Day 2 passers don't. They are afforded the opportunity to be coach killers. Most importantly, they are expected to save the franchise and follow through on their heavy investment.
Dart is in line for a redshirt season. He's viewed as a project passer, is coming from an impressively amateur Mississippi offense, and has two established veterans ahead of him on the depth chart.
However, Chris Simms, the son of former Giants quarterback Phil Simms, says that Dart could start ahead of schedule.
"I don't expect the Giants to be a super team here," Simms explained during Monday's edition of FanDuel TV's "Up & Adams," as shared by the New York Post's Christian Arnold. "I'm not picking the Giants to go to the playoffs. The amount of money they're paying Russell Wilson does not guarantee him the starting quarterback job.
Advertisement
'Those are things I look at to go, if Jaxson Dart is phenomenal through training camp and (organized team activities) and has a really good preseason, and Russell Wilson is just, eh, just OK and doesn't look all that sharp, I don't think they'll be scared to start Jaxson Dart here."
Wilson will almost certainly start in Week 1. As an accomplished Super Bowl champion and a 2024 playoff starter, he likely gives New York the best chance to win. The length of his leash might grow less certain as Dart and other circumstances come into play, but he's the kind of adult in the room that the Giants have lacked.
"It sounds like the guy [Daboll] really wanted was Jaxson Dart," Simms said. "And when you got the head coach/playcaller in your corner and you're his guy, he's going to make sure you succeed and go in the right direction. I wouldn't be shocked Week 1. I think it would be, realistically, if you made me bet, I would say around Week 5 or 6 would be really the time I'd expect [Dart to play]."
There are two paths to Dart playing by the October deadline Simms set – both the best- and worst-case scenarios in his development. Either he's ahead of schedule, a budding star, and a passer who gives New York an edge over the below-average play Wilson is set to provide, or he gets the nod out of someone's seat growing hot.
Advertisement
Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen are relatively safe, given the recent investment in a Round 1 quarterback. But that's a lot easier to say before losses mount.
The only certainty is that the two won't go down without getting a look at their quarterback. Whether that's a decision made out of excitement or anxiety could help define Dart's rookie campaign.
Related: NFC East Positional Rankings: Do Giants' Quarterbacks Matter?
Related: Giants' Dart Timeline Has Three Main Possibilities
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Knicks superfan Ben Stiller 'grateful' for work fired Tom Thibodeau did in New York
A prominent New York Knicks fan is feeling sentimental in the wake of the team's decision to fire coach Tom Thibodeau. Actor Ben Stiller was one of several notable people that shared their thoughts about the firing on social media. He thanked Thibodeau for the coach's contributions to the organization. Advertisement "I am a Tom Thibodeau fan. He brought this team back. I felt he gave every bit of himself and was always looking to improve. I will always be grateful for how far he brought the Knicks. They are relevant again. They are championship contenders again. The Knicks became winners again with him," Stiller wrote. "Thank you Coach Thibs." The Knicks are known for having a plethora of celebrity guests at Madison Square Garden, and it was turned up a notch during the Eastern Conference finals series against the Indiana Pacers. However, Stiller has consistently been spotted courtside at New York home games throughout his career. In these playoffs, which saw the Knicks make their way to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000, Stiller was frequently spotted sitting alongside fellow superfan Timothée Chalamet. The two were in attendance for Game 4 of the series in Indianapolis when they became the subject of a rant from former Colts punter and sports media giant Pat McAfee. Advertisement The Knicks lost the series in six games to end the season, and Stiller got a playful jab from Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton following Game 6. Prior to the contest, Stiller commented: "Good thing he brought his duffel for the flight to NY" in response to a video of Haliburton walking into the arena, indicating the series would go to Game 7 in New York. After Indiana won, Haliburton responded: "Nah, was to pack y'all up." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ben Stiller shares thoughts after Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
3 Broncos hidden gems on 2025 roster you need to know
The post 3 Broncos hidden gems on 2025 roster you need to know appeared first on ClutchPoints. One player for the Denver Broncos is unhappy about his Pro Football Focus rating, while another player hopes for increased attention in the offense. Adding to the mix this season, here are three Broncos hidden gems you need to know on the 2025 roster. Advertisement Denver has big-time aspirations for the upcoming season. Super Bowl dreams are even part of the agenda. And players who step up from the background can help push the team toward lofty goals. One of the players in the mix is left tackle Garett Bolles, who is on the fringes of no longer being a hidden gem. But rather one very visible to NFL eyes. Broncos OT Garett Bolles is emerging Denny Medley-Imagn Images It has been four years since Bolles received postseason recognition. And that 2020 second-team All-Pro selection for now stands as an outlier. Things could change this season, according to 'Bolles is still waiting for his first Pro Bowl nod, but he was seventh among tackles in pass block win rate last season (93.4%) and 13th in 2023 (91.6%),' Aaron Schatz wrote. 'His only problem might be the flags, as he was fifth among linemen last season with 15 total penalties (including declined or offsetting).' Advertisement The Broncos made him happy in December by signing him to a four-year contract extension, according to 'This is a dream come true,' Bolles said Thursday. 'I grew up in this city. I became a man in this city as a football player, as a husband. And (to) get to be here long term with my family, it means the world to me. I'm just so grateful for the (Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group) — and what an amazing ownership group we have.' And Bolles said he longs to be part of a postseason resurgence for the proud franchise. 'All I wanted to do was win here, and win at the highest level,' Bolles said. 'And play in the biggest games in the biggest moments with the biggest stars and the brightest lights. Just the culture that we have here for so many years now. It's awesome to be where we're at. It's not over, it's not done. We still have a lot of work to do. But, we're putting people in the right positions to be successful.' Broncos RB R.J. Harvey turning heads If you listen only to Pro Football Focus, you will sleep on Harvey. PFF didn't list him among their top 32 running backs for 2025. Advertisement Four other rookies made the list, but Harvey could have a similar opportunity to Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton, Quinshon Judkins, and TreVeyon Henderson. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix said Harvey is already putting in the effort, according to 'He's done a really good job working,' quarterback Bo Nix said. 'He does a good job out of the backfield. It's hard to tell with shorts and a shirt what it's like running the ball with no pads, but that's obviously why we got him. 'You know he can run the ball, but I think it's the other things that he's showing. Just the routes, [his] suddenness and quickness in his hands. I think all that's really good to see, but he's a great guy, first and foremost, then I think it's going to translate for him being a successful player.' Advertisement And praise rings in from former NFL running back Chase Edmonds, according to 'I absolutely love this guy,' Edmonds said. 'You talk about juice, you talk about the ability to get skinny, get back out to the outside. Broncos Country, let me tell you something right now: Get your Kool-Aid ready, because this brother is bringing the juice.' Broncos TE Claeb Lohner might be a steal The Broncos grabbed Lohner in the seventh round, but that hasn't stopped Sean Payton's excitement about the player's potential, according to Sports Illustrated. 'You see traits, you see movements,' Payton said. 'I'm not a big fan of the Big 12 Pro Day because a player like him gets six routes instead of 20 that he would get at his own Pro Day. So hopefully that's going away, but there are two or three clips where I'm like, 'Play it again. Play it again.' Then, when you watch him, and you watch him move, and even in our first two days here. People bring up Jimmy [Graham]. Now, Jimmy was a third-round pick. I get it, but there were some similarities in that.' Advertisement But Payton said it's a work in progress, too. 'We have to coach and develop,' Payton said. 'In other words, if it was already present when you watch him, and you guys see him, and shake his hand and stand next to him, like, 'Holy cow.' There are traits there that excite me. Then, just visiting with him, and his intentionality, and his excitement about it. I'm excited to watch it.'
USA Today
40 minutes ago
- USA Today
Is LIV Golf looking to Louisiana as a future venue? The state appears poised to spend $7M
Is LIV Golf looking to Louisiana as a future venue? The state appears poised to spend $7M Is the Louisiana Legislature looking to lure a LIV Golf event to the Bayou as early as June 2026? It sure appears that way as the state's Legislature is planning to spend at least $7 million in public money to bring the controversial golf league, owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to New Orleans next summer. WDSU-TV first reported the possibility of a LIV event in the Big Easy back in March. Now, KPLC 7 reported that the Louisiana Senate Finance Committee inserted the golf tournament spending into the proposed $49 billion state operating budget on Sunday. Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, said the Louisiana Economic Development agency, overseen by Gov. Jeff Landry, requested the money. At least $2 million would be earmarked for upgrading the Bayou Oaks golf course at New Orleans City Park, where the tournament would be held. Another $5 million would be given directly to LIV Golf as a hosting fee, Henry said in an interview with reporters Sunday night. Henry said the money is going to help 'get the course up and running for a LIV quality event.' Henry said the LIV Golf event is expected to generate about $60 million in spending for New Orleans. The tournament would be held in June or July of 2026, at a time of year when city tourism is down and the hospitality industry is typically struggling. 'It'll drive significant economic activity at a time when the city is usually pretty slow,' he said One person close to the situation says the projected economic impact from the event for the region could be between $50-75 million. Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, said the Louisiana Economic Development agency, overseen by Gov. Jeff Landry, requested the money. 'It'll drive significant economic activity at a time when the city is usually pretty slow,' he said. The state's $7 million allocation would be devoted mostly to the first year of expenses in 2026, Henry added. The funds Louisiana is putting toward the LIV golf event come from the state's major events incentive fund, which provides public funding for large tourist attractions. In the past, it has been used to lure the Super Bowl, Essence Festival and NCAA Final Four for men's basketball. Other events getting money from the fund in the proposed state budget for the year that starts July 1 include the U.S. Bowling Congress Tournament ($5 million), an Ultimate Fighting Championship event ($1.5 million), the 2026 Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Championship ($750,000), the U.S. Gymnastics National Championships in New Orleans this August ($750,000), the Barksdale Defenders of Liberty Air Show ($500,000) and the State Fair of Louisiana in Shreveport ($100,000). The report also noted another $250,000 in public funding from a Jefferson Parish tourism promotion account is also going to the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a PGA Tour event held each spring at the TPC Louisiana golf course in Avondale.
