Jaxson Dart, the Giants’ prized rookie quarterback, impressed his coaches — and especially Brian Daboll — during spring practices.
Now comes the harder part — thriving in training camp and preseason games, while showing the Giants he deserves to replace Russell Wilson.
That probably won’t happen in Week 1. But if Dart performs well this summer, Wilson might enter the season on a shorter leash.
On Wednesday, the NFL announced training camp report dates for every team. Interestingly, the Giants have rookies reporting July 15 — seven days before veterans and the earliest possible report date for rookies.
(Yes, the Chargers’ rookies report July 12, but they’re playing in the Hall of Fame Game. So for the purposes of this, they don’t count.)
In addition to the Giants, the Ravens, Bills, Dolphins, 49ers, and Seahawks have their rookies reporting July 15. The Jets’ rookies, by the way, report July 19. The Eagles’ rookies arrive with veterans on July 22.
The Giants won’t start actual training camp practices until July 23, the day after veterans report. So it’s not like Dart will get extra practice time by showing up July 15. But it does give him extra time in the Giants’ facility and around their coaches. Not a ton of extra time, but some.
Will that make a significant difference for Dart, in terms of his chances of starting early in his rookie season? Maybe not. But it can’t hurt, especially since Dart’s progress — even amid another loss-filled season — could result in Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen keeping their jobs.
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Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com.