Giants QB2 Jaxson Dart ‘prepared every time my quantity is named’

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Rookie Jaxson Dart isn’t listening to the public calls for him to become the New York Giants’ starting quarterback. He’s aware his role at the moment is to be Russell Wilson’s backup.

“My job is just to be the best teammate to Russ,” Dart said Friday, days before his second career game and perhaps first appearance.

Dart, who didn’t play in the opener despite serving as the No. 2 quarterback, is working primarily as the team’s scout team QB at practice. This week, he pretended to be Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Last week, it was Washington’s Jayden Daniels.

New York (0-1) plays the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Sunday with standout left tackle Andrew Thomas listed as doubtful with a foot injury.

The conversation surrounding the Giants this week has centered on whether Dart should start over Wilson. That was flamed by coach Brian Daboll being noncommittal immediately following a 21-6 season-opening loss to the Commanders.

Dart isn’t listening to the calls for him to start.

“I don’t pay attention to that stuff,” the rookie said. “I think it’s just of the nature of the sport. Any time that you don’t win, people talk and things like that happen. It’s completely different if you win. You have to take all that with a grain of salt, and my job is to control what I can control and be the best teammate I can be. Do my job in practice in preparing our guys.”

The Giants traded back into the first round to select get the 25th overall pick to use on Dart, who is spending a lot of time outside of practice preparing himself for the possibility of playing. He’s going over walk-throughs relentlessly before and after they take place. He’s bringing guys after practice (along with third-string quarterback Jameis Winston) to replicate the plays the starters ran earlier.

Anything really to ready him to play in a real game. Dart is one snap every Sunday from making his NFL debut.

But during the week he’s getting very few reps with the starting offense. It’s why it was perhaps surprising that Dart passed Winston on the depth chart so quickly.

“We mix him in once in a while on the first unit,” Daboll said earlier in the week, before adding that Dart received just one or two first-team reps last week before serving as the backup.

But Dart insists he’s making the most of the work he gets. It’s not just with the starters.

As the scout team quarterback, Dart worked on his running when mimicking Daniels. He admitted to doing the Prescott “Here We Go” cadence this week. Any, all or none of it could ultimately be useful.

The Giants did have some plays specifically designed for Dart last week, multiple sources told ESPN. They didn’t use them against the Commanders.

“I don’t know if it’s as much as a package of plays,” Dart said. “I’m just preparing for whatever chance I get. So there is not a specific game plan or something like that. It’s me just trying to be prepared and be ready whenever my number is called.”

It could be as early as this week. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that the Giants turn to Dart for a short-yardage or goal-line situation, or even if Wilson struggles again. The Giants managed just 231 total yards and didn’t score a touchdown in the opener.

The reality is that Dart is trying to be the best possible teammate while waiting in a reserve role, which is not his favorite spot to be.

“I feel like I’ve said this, as a competitor: I don’t have a blast watching from the sideline. But it’s just the way that it is,” Dart said. “My job is to do what I can control. When I’m sitting there, I’m itching. You just want to compete. You want to be out there. In some ways you feel like a fan at times. So it’s a little bit different of a feeling than I’m used to, but I’m just trying to shift my perspective.”

This is also a little different for Winston, who rarely has been a No. 3 quarterback. The veteran talked about his belief that he’s one of the best 32 quarterbacks in the league, that he came to New York with the mindset that he could be the starter. He even told Wilson that.

For now, that is not his role. It doesn’t affect the way he works or interacts with the other quarterbacks.

“I prepare to be a starter,” Winston said. “I know I’m a starter in this league. But my role — I think you have to be able to be grateful for your role — my role is to assist Jaxson and Russ to be the best they can be while preparing to be the best that I can be.”

At the moment, Dart and Winston are both the backups, trying to support Wilson as much as possible while waiting for their turn.