Overview

• Jaxson Dart has completed 26 of 35 passes for 291 yards with two touchdowns and roughly a 74% completion rate across two preseason games, plus a rushing score.
• Head coach Brian Daboll reiterated that “Russ is our starter,” and he even inserted Dart for a single snap against the Jets to test his readiness in an unorthodox scenario.
• Teammates and executives praised Dart’s presence and leadership, with WR Zach Pascal calling him highly talented and assistant GM Brandon Brown lauding his ‘aura’ that players gravitate toward.
• Analysts and former players are urging an accelerated timeline for Dart, with Chase Daniel and Mike Tannenbaum advocating for the rookie and media projections pointing to potential switches around Week 7 or Week 13 if performance warrants it.
• Evaluations remain mixed, as Pro Football Focus graded Dart at 67.4 (30th of 82 QBs) despite strong box scores, while separate analysis has floated a possible trade of backup Jameis Winston—such as to the Vikings—as a scenario if depth-chart dynamics change.