By Robert Marvi
Copyright newsweek
After veteran quarterback Russell Wilson struggled in his first three games of the season, the New York Giants benched him and went with rookie Jaxson Dart. Dart led them to a win over the Los Angeles Chargers in his first start, but he threw two interceptions on Sunday when they lost, 26-14, to the New Orleans Saints.
The New York fan base is placing a good deal of hope on the shoulders of Dart, who was the No. 25 overall pick in April’s NFL draft. But on Monday, he popped up on the team’s injury report with a hamstring ailment, per Tom Pelissero.
Meanwhile, wide receiver Darius Slayton was listed as unable to participate due to his own hamstring issue.
The #Giants listed QB Jaxson Dart (hamstring) and RB Tyrone Tracy Jr (shoulder) as limited on their estimated injury report today. WR Darius Slayton (hamstring) listed as DNP. They host the #Eagles on Thursday night.— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 6, 2025
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Dart was a solid signal-caller during his four seasons in the NCAA. He didn’t play much as a freshman at the University of Southern California, but he then transferred to the University of Mississippi, where he threw for 4,279 yards and 29 touchdowns while completing 69.3% of his pass attempts last season.
There wasn’t much about his game that was splashy or spectacular, but he was a First-team All-SEC selection in 2024.
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 05: Jaxson Dart #6 of the New York Giants throws a pass during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints in the game at Caesars Superdome on October 05, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
New York has been looking for its next true franchise quarterback ever since 2019, which was Eli Manning’s last season with the team. That year, it drafted Daniel Jones, which led the team to think it had found its solution, but despite a solid rookie year, Jones was never able to rise into the upper echelon of the NFL.
The team has a short rest this week before it faces the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles this Thursday. While the Eagles are coming off their first defeat of 2025, they will present a stiff challenge for the 1-4 Giants.
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The most pressing injury issue that the Giants are currently dealing with is the torn ACL that wide receiver Malik Nabers suffered in their win over Los Angeles. He was scheduled to undergo surgery this week, and he’s expected to be ready for training camp next summer.
He also has a partially torn labrum and a turf toe injury that he will be recovering from in the coming months.
For more on the Giants and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
