Jaxson Dart was one of the clear standouts of Week 1 of the NFL preseason around the league, and the New York Giants rookie quarterback’s performance was recently deemed better than that of Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, and every other rookie QB from this 2025 class.
On August 10, CBS Sports writer Tyler Sullivan ranked every preseason debut from each rookie quarterback, and Dart placed No. 1 overall.
“Dart had the most impressive outing of any rookie quarterback in my mind because he was going up against some of the Buffalo starters and performed well in that setting,” Sullivan reasoned.
Continuing: “The Ole Miss product came in after Russell Wilson got the start and played the opening drive. In all, Dart was in the driver’s seat for three scoring drives on his four first-half possessions. Dart looked comfortable in the pocket, made tight window throws, and when the pressure started to get home, he showed off his mobility with 24 yards on the ground.”
Sullivan went on to note that Dart’s “best play of the day was by far his 28-yard touchdown pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey. On top of hitting his receiver in stride, Dart completed the pass despite a defender crashing towards him and taking a hit.”
The NFL writer concluded that “after seeing Dart’s debut, it’s hard not to be excited if you’re a New York Giants fan.”
Jaxson Dart’s Giants Preseason Debut Is Graded Slightly Lower Than Shedeur Sanders, Higher Than Cam Ward
GettyNew York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart stands tall in the pocket and sheds a blitzer during preseason Week 1.
Although Sullivan ranked Dart first and Sanders second, grading site Pro Football Focus flipped those two around, giving Sanders the slightly higher overall grade of 82.1 compared to Dart’s 80.7. Although the Giants signal-caller’s passing marks were better than those of Sanders (80.7 versus 75.4).
“It wasn’t perfect for Sanders,” Sullivan wrote, after detailing a few of his better moments within the first part of his No. 2 ranking blurb.
“He came out a little sluggish for the second half and nearly threw an interception in the second quarter on a pass into a high amount of traffic,” the analyst explained. “But even with that, it was the type of showing that should only endear him to the coaching staff going forward through the preseason.”
Aside from Dart and Sanders, Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Seth Henigan (not ranked by Sullivan) and Las Vegas Raiders counterpart Cam Miller (third on Sullivan’s rankings) were also graded higher by PFF, at 83.7 and 80.8, respectively.
The No. 1 overall pick, Ward, was ranked fifth by Sullivan and 12th by PFF (54.2 grade).
To be fair to Ward, he didn’t get as much playing time as Dart, Sanders, and many of the others, being that he’s currently the projected starter in Tennessee. Sullivan noted this in his ranking, but also seemed to dock the top pick a bit for a “near-interception to corner Josh Hayes.”
Final Numbers From Dart’s First NFL Preseason Outing
As for the final numbers for Dart and some of the high-ranking members of the 2025 rookie class, you can find them below.
- Dart: 12-of-19 passing for 154 yards and a touchdown; 24 yards rushing on three attempts.
- Sanders: 14-of-23 passing for 138 yards and two touchdowns; 19 yards rushing on four attempts.
- Miller: 6-of-7 passing for 76 yards and a touchdown; 4 yards rushing on one attempt.
- Jalen Milroe: 6-of-10 passing for 61 yards; 38 yards rushing on three attempts.
- Ward: 5-of-8 passing for 67 yards.
- Tyler Shough: 15-of-22 passing for 165 yards, two sacks taken, one touchdown and one interception (pick-six); 3 yards rushing on one attempt.
- Riley Leonard: 12-of-24 passing for 92 yards and one interception; 34 yards rushing on four attempts.
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