Putting Jaxson Dart into the starting lineup instantly made the New York Giants winners, but that doesn’t mean the team can ignore warning signs about the rookie quarterback.
Multiple warnings have been made about how the first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft takes risks as a runner. There’s also an underlying worry about how effectively former Ole Miss star Dart will be able to move the ball through the air.
Dart “will need to be a better passer if the Giants are going to maintain the positive vibes,” according to The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz. The latter acknowledged this won’t be easy now marquee wide receiver Malik Nabers is officially out for the season with a torn ACL, but Big Blue’s new QB1 also “displayed some shakiness in the pocket that affected his accuracy. He also held the ball too long on a few plays, which led to sacks, and he never really pushed the ball downfield.”
There’s also the not-so small matter of Dart taking a ton of punishment running the ball during the 21-18 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4. A series of big hits left the first-year pro battered, bruised and managing concerns about an injured hamstring.
Those hits also prompted Mike Sando of The Athletic to say “Dart must change the way he plays to remain available each week.” Sando’s take also has the Giants tethered to the availability of deposed veteran signal-caller Russell Wilson.
Giants Face Balancing Act With Jaxson Dart
Keeping Dart’s mobility a viable part of the playbook has to be a priority for head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. Turning Dart loose on the ground gave the Giants another dimension against a rugged Chargers defense.
That extra something was best personified when Dart ran in for his first pro touchdown, but also in how the threat of a running quarterback opened rushing lanes for others, including rookie running back Cam Skattebo.
As Dan Schneier of CBS Sports put it, “Chargers (No. 3) can’t crash down to stop Skattebo on this successful 2-point conversion because he has to respect the possibility of Dart keeping it.”
The Giants are simply a more dynamic offense on the ground with Dart in the lineup, but the dynamism comes with risks. Those risks stem from plays that increase the chances of Dart taking a hit.
It happened often against the Chargers, when “Dart had 16 total designed rushes, scrambles, sacks and additional QB hits in 34 plays where those outcomes were possible. That’s 47.1 percent of plays, the second-highest mark for a Giants starting quarterback in the team’s last 419 total games (2000-present),” according to Sando.
Numbers like these indicate keeping Dart running will be tough for Daboll to maintain. If he can’t, the Giants will need more from a Nabers-less passing game.
Russell Wilson Still Has Value for Giants
Wilson has already declared his intention to stick around and be ready to step back into the fray if needed. That’s handy because the 10-time Pro Bowler might be needed if Dart can’t find better ways to protect himself.
Just as important will be the Giants protecting Dart with quicker throws and glorified long handoffs to limit his own need to run. Eventually though, the Giants will require their new starter to successfully attack coverage vertically.
There are ways to do it, but they demand finding alternatives to Nabers, along with expanding the dropback game for Dart.