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New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart is already turning heads, and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has certainly taken notice. Prior to the 49ers’ trip to New York in Week 9, Saleh had some high praise for Dart and the Giants front office, and he even had a little fun with Brian Daboll’s injury tent saga.
During his Thursday press conference, Saleh discussed what he’s seen from Dart on film, and he gushed about the rookie signal-caller. He even went so far as to sympathize with Dabolls’ decision to chase Dart into the injury tent a few weeks ago, which resulted in fines for the Giants and Daboll himself.
“He is uber-talented,” Saleh said. “I understand why Daboll went into the blue tent. I probably would’ve went too. The kid is good, man. I think New York hit on this one big-time.”
Saleh added that Daboll and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka do a good job highlighting Dart’s strengths.
“He’s dynamic,” Saleh said of Dart. “He’s decisive. He’s accurate. He’s been a joy to watch just studying his tape over the last five starts. They’re doing a really good job with him. There’s certain things they’re asking of him, but they’re doing a good job hiding it in their weekly game plans. … This kid, he’s gonna be special.”
New York traded back into the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select Dart at No. 25 overall, and that gamble has paid off so far. In his first five starts, Dart has completed 59.9% of his passes for 984 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s also showed off his mobility with 195 yards and four scores on the ground.
Given the state of the Giants’ quarterback struggles since the Eli Manning era, hearing praise like that from one of the game’s best defensive minds has to be music to the ears of New York fans. Now we’ll see whether Dart can back up that praise from Saleh when the Giants and 49ers meet on Sunday afternoon.