We are nearly three weeks into the preseason, and few rookies have been as impressive as Jaxson Dart. The former Ole Miss quarterback, now wearing Giants blue, has stacked back-to-back strong outings that have social media buzzing. In his debut against the Bills, Dart turned in an exciting performance, completing 12 of 19 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown.
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Meanwhile, against the Jets, the first-round pick was nearly flawless, completing 14 of 16 passes for 137 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions.
What has stood out just as much as the stat line, however, is the way Dart has carried himself. He’s playing with command, confidence, and full trust in the coaching staff. Most importantly, his words after the Jets game, which was a near-perfect night, show that he is focused on improvement rather than results:
“Honestly, the third down that I had where the guy clipped my ankles, that’s gonna haunt me for a little bit… but I think the most important thing was us getting the win. I want us to continue to expect these kinds of things as a team and build on these moments,” Dart said.
This self-critical edge, coupled with composure, is what caught the attention of Colin Cowherd.
On the latest edition of his show, the veteran analyst pointed to the Giants rookie as a textbook case of how much early mentorship matters in football.
“When you’re young, you’re 18, you’re 19, you’re 20, you’re 23, 24, more than any time in your life, your mentors, your bosses have an immeasurable impact,” Cowherd started. “I look at Jaxson Dart of the Giants… look at the mentors he’s had offensively: three years of Lane Kiffin and now Brian Daboll.”
The analyst further noted how rare it is for a young quarterback to enter the league with such an offensive foundation.
“When I watch him play, he is playing like he trusts his coaches. He’s playing with a ton of confidence, sitting in the pocket, letting it rip; he looks great,” Cowherd explained, before warning everyone not to overreact to preseason performance, but stressing the bigger point: mentorship shows.
The contrast, he argued, can be seen with someone like Justin Fields. The former first-round pick has spent his NFL years mostly under defensive-minded head coaches, and the results are clear.
“Justin Fields looks lost, he looks lost in this game, he looks lost,” Cowherd said bluntly, pointing out that Fields’ mentors, Matt Eberflus, Aaron Glenn, and Mike Tomlin, were not offensive quarterbacks’ coaches.
For Jaxson Dart, however, the trajectory can be the opposite, as Cowherd ran down examples of elite QBs benefiting from offensive minds: “Mahomes, Burrow, Hurts, Jaden Daniels … a lot of these guys, offensive [coaches]… Bo Nix, Sean Payton.”
This is the same mould Dart is now stepping into with Brian Daboll, who already did some very impressive things with Daniel Jones.
“Look at the mentors he’s had offensively; 3 years of Lane Kiffin and now Brian Daboll.”@colincowherd says Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart looks great, thanks to having offensive head coaches pic.twitter.com/I4xLRwPZVS
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) August 18, 2025
That said, the Giants HC has been firm that “Russ is our starter and we’re going to keep developing Jaxson”. The rookie quarterback himself doesn’t mind embracing this learning curve, due to how settled and secure he feels with the coaching staff in New York:
“They put me in good situations, they let me express the things that I like, that I feel confident in running, and then the tempo drives. I felt confident in that.”
So while Russell Wilson remains QB1, the groundwork is clear. For Cowherd, Dart represents the long-term payoff of strong mentorship, and in his words, “if you don’t think who you land as your college and your pro coach matters a lot, you’re wrong.”
So in New York, we may be watching that point play out in real time.
