ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Take your pick of the most impressive thing that Giants rookie Jaxson Dart did in his NFL debut.
Was it the perfect leading placement that he showed on a 29-yard touchdown pass?
Was it the fearless way that he stood in the pocket against pressure coming in his face and delivered that same strike to Lil’Jordan Humphrey?
Was it the athletic way he used his legs for a 19-yard scramble?
Was it the smooth way he operated the offense on three scoring drives, the last two of which might have been for seven points instead of three if not for a couple of third-down drops?
All of it was encouraging for the future of the Giants, who turned to Dart over Jameis Winston as the first quarterback off the bench Saturday in the preseason opener against the Bills.
With the NFL world still buzzing about Shedeur Sanders’ debut for the Browns on Friday night, Dart – the quarterback that the Giants pivoted to late in the draft process as Sanders stunningly slid all the way to the fifth round – went 12-of-19 for 154 yards and a touchdown to finish with a 106 rating.
“I’m not scared,” Dart said earlier in the week. “When I go out there, I’m going to play the game that I know how to play. The offense here, they don’t give me restrictions on what I can and can’t do, so there’s obviously going to be things where I’m learning when I can do something, when I can’t do something. I think if you’re going to play scared as a quarterback, you shouldn’t be out there.”
Dart’s first series against the starting defense resulted in one first down and a punt but he found his rhythm when he returned to the field against the Bills backups.
The No. 26 pick in the draft went 3-for-4 on his 80-yard touchdown drive, including catch-and-runs by Dante Miller (18 yards) and Montrell Washington (28 yards). Both Miller and Washington are threats to steal 53-man roster spots.
After his fade down the right sideline was tipped at the line of scrimmage and nearly intercepted – a big swing in his day – Dart went right back to a similar throw down the opposite sideline.
Dart hung in the pocket and released the ball just before T.J. Sanders drilled him in the mouth. He popped to his feet and excitedly slapped helmets and flexed to let the celebration begin.
The 22-year-old Ole Miss product wasn’t done dealing or dashing. He had a 19-yard scramble to set up a field goal as part of a three-carry, 24-yard day with his legs.
There were few signs of Dart holding the ball for too long, as he has at times during training camp. Instead, before he was replaced by Jameis Winston out of halftime, Dart was decisive and was able to shuffle his feet to extend plays and open throwing windows like he did on an 18-yard catch by Washington.
Now what?
Well, one crowd will temper the excitement and point out that the departed Daniel Jones was good in his preseason debut – 5-of-5 for 67 yards and a touchdown – and even better in his first regular-season start when he led a fourth-quarter comeback victory against the Buccaneers with a four-touchdown (two passing, two rushing) performance.
Others will be clamoring for the Giants to open up a quarterback competition and give Dart a more legitimate chance to be the starter over Russell Wilson, who was named the starter after signing in free agency and before a single spring workout.
There is no evidence that the Giants would even consider that possibility, especially given the high internal reviews of Wilson’s training camp.
Wilson has taken almost every first-team rep this summer and started Saturday’s game, completing 6-of-7 passes on a 12-play, 30-yard drive that ended with a field goal.
