EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Jaxson Dart's time these days is spent mimicking the way Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels runs or Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott executes his hard count. His current job at New York Giants practice is to operate the scout team, in between digesting the limited short-yardage package that coach Brian Daboll and assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka have designed for him in each of the first two weeks of the NFL season.
These are just some of the things that keep the rookie first-round quarterback busy since he's getting only one or two first-team reps each week with veteran Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback. Dart's job entails staying after practice with third-string quarterback Jameis Winston and a bunch of the younger receivers (such as Jalin Hyatt and Beaux Collins) and running through the starters' practice script.
Such is the life of a rookie quarterback who the Giants have decided is better to sit and learn behind a veteran. It's the same approach the Chiefs took with Patrick Mahomes during his rookie year, a notable example given that Kafka was integral in his development. Kafka was the Chiefs' quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator during Mahomes rookie season.
Dart, who the Giants traded back into the first round to select with the 25th pick out of Ole Miss, served as the backup to Wilson these past two weeks -- both losses to the Commanders and Cowboys. He got on the field for three snaps, all running plays, in Sunday's 40-37 loss to Dallas. This week, he'll pretend he is Mahomes, running the scout team in practice as the Giants (0-2) look for their first win of the season in their home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC).
"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.
Primarily, Dart's role is to sit and learn behind Wilson. The Giants prefer to be patient and let Dart develop. That's the preference but could potentially be derailed by necessity.
IT'S A SIMILAR situation to what Mahomes experienced during the 2017 season, when he was a rookie backing up Alex Smith in Kansas City. Kafka, a former NFL quarterback, was the offensive quality control coach that season for the Chiefs. A large part of his duties was to monitor and manage Mahomes' development.
Daboll, Kafka and Giants quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney are spending significant time this year tutoring and developing Dart while simultaneously playing to win with Wilson. It's two forces with conflicting agendas pulling at one another.
But they have a plan for the rookie, with goals that Dart needs to hit before he becomes the team's long-term starter, including the learning that comes from serving as the No. 2 quarterback.
"He's got to see the game through the quarterback's eyes on the sideline. He's got to be involved in the communication. Each day we're trying to groom him and when he has to play, he'll be ready to play," Daboll said. "As a young quarterback, there's so many different things that you're going to have to go through. There'll be ups and downs, but in terms of the process that we're doing with him, each day, he does a little bit better -- meetings, protections, [scout] team, we'll continue to do that."
Wilson's performance Sunday, when he threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns against the Cowboys, seems to have silenced the noise and calls for Dart to start, at least temporarily. He will remain the starter ... for now.
If Wilson plays well and the Giants start winning games, the QB setup will continue. Dart will get a chance to learn behind a proven veteran, just like Mahomes did his rookie season when his only start came in Week 17 as the Chiefs rested their starters before a playoff game.
Some might argue this will be best for Dart's long-term development and future, especially with an offensive line that has allowed pressure at a 35% clip through two weeks. The Giants would prefer to wait until standout left tackle Andrew Thomas returns from a foot injury as well. He has missed the first two games.
"I think you want to wait as long as possible until Jaxson Dart is as ready as possible and has a chance of success," Smith said this week on "Sunday NFL Countdown." "The idea you're going to go out there and cross your fingers and hope it goes well, it's a farce."
Smith believes the Giants should wait until at least Week 8 to insert Dart. Once upon a time, they waited until Week 11 for rookie Eli Manning to replace Kurt Warner in 2004. But Daniel Jones as a rookie eventually replaced Manning in Week 3 of the 2019 season.
If Wilson or this Giants team continues to stumble, Dart will inevitably become the starter as the pressure builds on Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. He's already given them enough confidence to make him the No. 2 quarterback, ahead of Winston.
This would provide Dart an opportunity to gain invaluable game experience and learn on the fly, similar to Josh Allen when Daboll was the offensive coordinator in Buffalo. Allen became the starter in the middle of Week 1 when Nathan Peterman was injured. He has remained the starter since.
All these experiences with Allen and Mahomes apply to Dart.
"When we did get Jaxson, the first meetings were a blend of those two things that [Kafka] did with Pat, what [Daboll] did with Josh," Tierney said. "And what are the best ways to implement it now."
At this point, there's the sit and learn vs. play and learn on the fly strategy. It's two varying approaches, with different benefits to each. For now, Dart appears to be traveling the Mahomes route.
IN THE 21ST century, 18 of the 25 Super Bowls have been won by a quarterback who didn't start early in his rookie season. Some of the best -- Mahomes, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers -- either didn't play much or at all. Matthew Stafford is the last quarterback to start right away and eventually win a Super Bowl, and he did it for a different team than the one that drafted him. Peyton Manning is the most recent quarterback to start on Day 1 for his team, the Indianapolis Colts, and lead them to a Super Bowl victory.
The Giants seem to prefer the sit and learn route for Dart. Players in the locker room also seem to think it's best.
Kafka told ESPN that Mahomes benefited greatly from observing Smith and that it was way more than just watching him on the field. Mahomes had the benefit of watching Smith's routine, from how he digested the game plan to adjustments he made during the week to how he watched film to how he took care of his body, then modified that to his liking.
Dart has Wilson and Winston with a combined 288 starts under their belt to consult.
"He doesn't know how lucky he is," Kafka said of having both veterans as mentors.
There also is a benefit to being on the sideline during games, watching the adjustments that the coaching staff and Wilson are making on the fly. Dart takes this all in, listening to every playcall as well.
It's a different perspective than he's used to. He's almost always been the starting quarterback and when he was younger played linebacker as well.
"There's just a lot of things that I'm breaking down," Dart said. "I'm able to stand back and see the whole defense. A lot of times, as a quarterback, you're only able to see so many things going on, especially at the line of scrimmage. So being able to have that perspective, I think that it's going to help me learn a lot. It's definitely helped me prepare, because now I'm able to see adjustments that we can make every time we come off the field. See what adjustments the defense is making. So, I kind of see it through a coaching lens almost, of just being able to see the full picture."
These are the kind of things Dart would be learning if he were the starter early in the season. With that inevitably comes rough moments. He noted Peyton Manning's struggles his rookie year when he threw 28 interceptions. Indianapolis went 3-13.
In the end, it worked out just fine for Manning and the Colts. But Daboll and Schoen aren't in a position where they can afford those results this season. It complicates things.
FOR NOW, DART waits his turn. His teammates seem to think it's the right move. They have confidence in Wilson, with Sunday offering evidence he can still play at a high level. However, they believe being patient with their future soon-to-be franchise quarterback is best for the team and his future.
"I see a huge value [in sitting] because yeah, I mean in today's culture it's all about win-now. What can we do now?" said Giants defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches, who was a member of the 2017 Chiefs during Mahomes' rookie season. "But for the longevity of the franchise or for the longevity of his career, for the longevity of his success, I feel like development is the best way to go."
Dart sees the merits of both approaches. He knows it didn't come immediately for players such as Mahomes and Rodgers. But he's also seen it work the other way. Manning had a Hall of Fame career, Allen is doing well and Daniels had an incredible rookie year.
This all makes it that much harder for Dart, even if he looks across the field Sunday and sees how it turned out for Mahomes, a two-time MVP and three-time Super Bowl champion.
"As a competitor, I don't have a blast watching from the sideline," Dart said. "But it's just the way that it is. My job is just to do what I can control and when I'm sitting there, I'm itching. You just want to compete. You want to be out there."