Earlier this spring, New York Giants second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart acknowledged that he needs “to be on the field” more after he was checked for a concussion on five occasions from last preseason through Week 18 of his rookie campaign.
On Thursday, Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic mentioned that Dart “has to be more mindful of avoiding big hits when possible, and the Giants will have to be careful about the number of designed QB runs they call” under first-year head coach John Harbaugh and new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. Baumgardner also shared how Dart has to improve outside of knowing when to slide and when not to try to pick up an extra yard or two with his legs.
Jaxson Dart was to blame for the punishment he took as a rookie in more ways than one
“As a passer, Dart knows how to process,” Baumgardner wrote. “However, he was guilty of holding the ball a tick too long in college and again as a rookie. That also ties into the punishment Dart took, with many of the hits he absorbed last season not necessary. One of Dart’s biggest problem areas at Ole Miss was his anticipatory throwing — if he couldn’t see his target’s numbers, hesitation followed. He’s still working to improve that area of his game.”
In fairness to Dart, he was seen last summer as a project for the future who wasn’t supposed to take a meaningful snap during his rookie season. The Giants signed veteran Russell Wilson in March 2025 with the hope that he could at least keep them in the playoff hunt through the middle of December, but then-head coach Brian Daboll ultimately benched Wilson in favor of Dart after the club fell to 0-3.
“Dart was a consistent playmaker as a rookie,” Baumgardner continued, “but not a consistent passer. He still played with too much college-level footwork, which led to early or late timing throws and, ultimately, into him taking unnecessary hits.”
The good news for Giants fans about Jaxson Dart
In May, Matt Okada of the NFL’s website named Dart as a top “second-year breakout candidate” for the upcoming season. Baumgardner seems to agree with such takes.
“[Former Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka] did a great job creating an offense around Dart last year, but Harbaugh’s staff will be better equipped to help him as a dual-threat player,” Baumgardner added. “Health permitting, I expect a sizable jump from Dart, who has the ability to finally give the Giants the franchise QB for which they’ve been searching.”
The “health permitting” line is admittedly doing plenty of heavy lifting, as it remains to be seen if Dart will do a better job of protecting himself once the figurative bullets start to fly in September.
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