Giants' Jaxson Dart's play on Sunday will be only a small part of his long-term development
Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, inset, and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. Credit: Jim McIsaac; Ed Murray
Since Jaxson Dart was drafted in April, the Giants’ coaching staff and front office have spoken about his development plan with a goal in mind: Be ready to not only start but have a long-term career.
Dart will take another step toward that in his first career start Sunday. Part of the plan is rooted in coach Brian Daboll’s work with Josh Allen, but another derives from offensive coordinator Mike Kafka being around during the early days of Patrick Mahomes’ rise.
Kafka advised Dart through the spring and summer with the main goals of the plan in mind. Now he’s confident Dart is as ready as he can be to take over the offense against the Chargers at MetLife Stadium.
“You just see it on a daily basis,” Kafka said. “The preparation, you saw him in the meeting rooms, you see him on the practice field doing the scout team reps and you can really take a lot from that, just how he’s operating as a leader on the team and in the huddle.”
How Dart handles this offense will be watched closely. He has yet to throw a pass in the regular season. Before this week, he didn’t have many reps with Malik Nabers or the other starting receivers in training camp or regular-season practices.
Kafka said the key will be tailoring the offense to Dart’s strengths, just like with any quarterback. It’s what he did with Mahomes when the future Super Bowl champion made his debut in Kansas City’s final game of 2017 after Alex Smith started the season.
“He was different than Alex and so he had different favorite plays than Alex did. That’s fine,” Kafka said. “Just like Jaxson, Jameis [Winston] and [Russell Wilson], they all have different plays that they really like and really know.
“So I know as a coordinator, putting together the plan with the staff, it’s like, what stuff is [Dart] really good at? What stuff does he like? Then how can we dress it up and how can we match it up to make him feel good?”
Kafka said Dart has no problem saying what type of plays suit him well. It’s part of a two-way communication on how to make the game plan better while making him more comfortable.
Another part of Dart’s strength is his swagger, something he said Wednesday he wants to bring to the field. It’s a confidence that endeared him to the locker room right away, and teammates expect it will carry over to Sunday.
“I don’t think he’s going to lose that,” receiver Wan’Dale Robinson said. “I think that’s exactly what we see out of him. That swagger and confidence level being pretty high. He’s always interacting, figuring out what’s going on. I think really just playing the game in his own head whenever he’s on the sidelines.”
Offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor said Dart’s mobility presents different advantages from Wilson’s. Dart is faster, so there’s trust that he can extend plays if protections break down.
Eluemunor also said Dart has a different aura on the field. It’s not just that he wants to win, but there’s an excitement that fires up the veterans.
“For an older guy like me, I already play with a ton of energy,” Eluemunor said. “A guy like that just makes you want to go out there and block even longer and harder and make sure he gets all the success I think he deserves.”
Regardless of whether Dart plays well, Sunday is just the first step of the long-term plan Daboll and Kafka have designed for him. Kafka believes Dart’s job this weekend is simple: Do what is asked of him on the field and trust that he’s done enough work to earn this chance.
“He did it in the preseason,” Kafka said. “Now it’s the regular season, so [at] every single level, things start speeding up and ramping up for him. But he’s been very productive as a player and I’m excited to go see him go out there and roll it.”
Notes & quotes: Nabers (toe) and TE Theo Johnson (shoulder) remained limited participants in practice Thursday. LB Darius Muasau (concussion) was a full participant for the first time since being injured in Week 2. DL Chauncey Golston (ankle) and Rakeem Nunez-Roches (foot) didn’t practice.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
