Six offseason Giants standouts: How Russell Wilson, Jaxson Dart have rejuvenated QB room

New York Times

6 days ago

You know it's the summer break when Tommy DeVito is talking about he and Jaxson Dart watching 'Love Island' together.
DeVito's 'confession' that the two young New York Giants quarterbacks discuss the popular show was one of the more fun moments to come out of mandatory minicamp and was a humorous way to close what's been a busy offseason for the franchise.
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With no pads or hitting allowed, the spring practices favor the skill position players a bit more than the rest of the roster. We'll have to wait for training camp (slated to start July 22) to better assess the Giants front seven and its offensive line, but there were still a handful of standouts from this offseason worth highlighting, which is what we'll do now:
Ask anyone around the Giants about Wilson, and they'll immediately start talking about his leadership. But what does that actually mean for a position that is often defined by the concept? And how is what Wilson brings different from what former QB Daniel Jones brought to the Giants?
Let's start here: The 36-year-old Wilson is a 14-year veteran with a Super Bowl to his name and maybe will have a spot in Canton one day. Suffice it to say, his resume carries a lot of weight.
But it goes beyond that: Wilson has made the extra effort, taking the other QBs, offensive linemen and running backs to dinner. He's organized workouts with skill players in Atlanta, and he orchestrated a private workout with receiver Jalin Hyatt in Los Angeles. Quarterback Jameis Winston said Wilson consistently checks in on teammates and sees if they understand concepts and are on the same page. After a throwing session with two other teammates and Wilson, receiver Wan'Dale Robinson said, 'We haven't had a quarterback that's going to command everything, and you know exactly what (they) want.'
Dart echoed Robinson's comments.
'He's in such command,' Dart said. 'Everybody can look to him and feel super confident that everybody's going to be in the right spot. From just the cadences to the motions to the shifts, he makes sure everything is set and in the right spot. He just has a confidence about him that everybody feels confident when he is out there playing for him.'
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For an offense that hasn't changed much beyond the quarterback room, it seems Wilson's doing his part to change the offense.
'I think that's the job of the quarterback, is to facilitate the ball, (get it to) the right guy at the right time, but also to facilitate that motivation daily for each guy,' Wilson said.
While Wilson has emerged as the clear starter this spring, Dart has been a constant subject of fascination for obvious reasons — primarily that he's expected to be the future of the franchise.
He certainly has looked the part, both on and off the field, walking into rookie minicamp with confidence and swagger. On the field during OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Dart has shown flashes of promise, particularly with his ability to put touch on the ball.
It hasn't been all sunshine and roses for Dart, as he's tossed a few interceptions, but the rookie has largely impressed his new teammates and coaching staff.
'He can absorb a lot, and he knows what to weed out and what to really focus on the next day,' said coach Brian Daboll, who routinely took time after plays to talk through things with Dart. 'He's smart. He's aggressive with the football, which I like. But he's progressed since he's been here to where he is now. He's made good improvement.'
Hyatt did not make much of impact last season, failing to build on the big-play potential he showed off in college and flashed during his rookie season. He finished the year with just eight catches for 62 yards and entered the offseason amid trade speculation.
While it's hard to call him a winner of the offseason after the Giants elected to re-sign Darius Slayton rather than hand the deep-threat role to Hyatt, they also didn't add another receiver of significance. That means Hyatt has another chance to work his way into the rotation in New York and will do so alongside a quarterback well-equipped to take advantage of Hyatt's speed — Wilson and his famous 'moonball.'
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Hyatt appears intent on doing so, showing up for spring practices after having added some needed muscle. He even got some extra chances at showing off the progress he's made, as he filled in for Malik Nabers, who was dealing with a lingering toe injury.
'(Hyatt) did a really good job getting prepared for the spring,' wide receivers coach Mike Groh said. 'He's attacked the work that we've given him here in the spring. I think he showed up when the ball came to him. He's made plays.'
Honestly, this is really just about Adebo's health. He's a standout simply because he's been on the field. Given all the injury management the Giants are doing this offseason, it's been somewhat surprising to see the cornerback in full form after he broke his femur in October. But the free-agent addition said his recovery is going great, so once he got the all-clear, he wanted to be on the field as soon as possible.
'He has not shown anything from that (injury),' cornerbacks coach Jeff Burris said. 'Every day, he takes care of his body. He's brought energy. … He's charismatic and all those fun things, but he's a true pro, and that's what we need right now.'
Adebo looks like he can be the steady No. 1 outside corner the Giants need as Deonte Banks and Cor'Dale Flott battle for the other spot on the outside.
Every Giants fan knows Belton has a nose for the ball. Over three seasons, the fourth-round pick out of Iowa has tallied five interceptions — the most by any Giants defender in that span — and four fumble recoveries.
Belton's knack for finding the ball has continued this offseason with the safety grabbing an interception in one practice and nearly getting another the following week. He closed out the spring strongly with yet another interception on the final day of minicamp when he nabbed a deep Dart pass that was deflected by Art Green.
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While Jevon Holland and Tyler Nubin are the starting safeties, Belton has worked with the top unit this spring. He's also been used in a dime package during practice.
'Dane has been really good for us here early,' defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said earlier this spring. 'He's had a really good spring. (We're) finding ways to get him on the field (and figure out) what he can do to help us.'
It's worth repeating here that it's truly tough to evaluate players in the trenches in the spring. But with that caveat out of the way, wow. It's easy to see why he was the No. 3 pick in this year's draft.
Throughout the spring, Carter has played with the starting unit, rotating with other top edges, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. It's given us a glimpse into the potential lineup possibilities, which includes seeing Carter line up at inside linebacker. But no matter where he lines up, the constant has been the chaos he creates in the offensive backfield.
He's seemed to live there during some practices, and that's been exciting to see for a team that needs the defense to take a big step forward this year.
'When we get the pads on and take steps towards practicing real NFL football, that'll be the test to see where (Carter's) technique is at,' outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen said. 'But in terms of the traits, they're pretty much as advertised.'