Giants all but admit Jaxson Dart mistake with immediate training camp change

The New York Football Giants may already be doing some damage control after just one day of training camp. On Thursday, fans noticed an unusual notice for those observing team practices in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

"No video taping during team periods," the signs read along fences dividing spectators from the practice fields. According to those who attended Wednesday's sessions, that requirement was not in place the previous day.

It's unclear if there was a specific incident the team is responding to or if it was simply always in place and the signs were supposed to be there the whole time. Though, it could also be a knee-jerk reaction to the team's first-round quarterback's unfortunate performance to begin camp.

Jaxson Dart's poor showing to start Giants training camp may have prompted camera ban

Video shot by the New York Post and published on TikTok shows Dart throwing an unfortunate pick-six right into cornerback Nic Jones' hands on his very first toss of camp during 11-on-11 drills.

“I just felt like I could beat him with the throw,” Dart told The Athletic after practice. “Obviously going back you want to try to put it a little on the outside shoulder. That’s just the closing speed of the NFL. You do your best to try to get used to it because there are a lot of really, really good athletes out here. It’s definitely something to learn from, but we’ll get better from it and move forward.”

It was not a great first impression for the No. 25 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the pressure should be mostly off him for now. Head coach Brian Daboll confirmed Wednesday veteran Russell Wilson will be the team's starting QB, although he also kept the door open for Dart to compete with Jameis Winston for the backup role throughout camp.

“We’re going to go out here and practice, and the guys are going to compete,” Daboll said. “The roster will be set when the roster is set ... These guys will be out here competing, but Russ is our starter.”

Dart's prospects at claiming the No. 2 QB role aren't dead in the water after just one throw. He did rebound on Wednesday with a solid touchdown throw to rookie running back Cam Skattebo on the very next drive.

It's likely way too early to declare Dart a mistake. All rookies have some boneheaded errors at their first pro training camp, especially ones making the jump from a spread offense like Dart ran at Ole Miss. But the optics of the team barring fans from recording practices after a single day is, indeed, questionable at the very least.