ESPN called New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart "a tough watch."
ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak didn't hold back while assessing New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart.
Take a look:
"In my earnest film breakdown of sophomore quarterbacks, I called Jaxson Dart a tough watch because of his inconsistency. On this scale of Sunday entertainment, Dart is a delightful watch. His dropbacks are infrequently routine completions. More likely, you'll get a scramble (9.5% of the time in 2025, fourth highest), a sack (8.5%, sixth highest) or a deep launch (12.4% of the time, eighth highest). Such football can produce frustrating results, but it's fun to watch as a neutral observer."
Former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky, who now works for ESPN, sent an important message to Dart a few weeks ago.
Orlovsky wrote that Dart "needs to learn how to protect himself when he's on the move."
This is a very crucial piece of advice from Orlovsky. After all, Dart was evaluated for a concussion four times in his first nine starts (and once in the preseason) last season. That's way too many.
The good news is that it appears Dart is taking steps to be more careful this season. He slid after a third-down run on 8/10 and Brian Burns and John Harbaugh loved it.
"We've been begging him to do that for a while," Burns said. "So, I'm glad that he's starting to practice it."
"I did," Harbaugh said. "I clapped. I applauded. I applauded when he did that. It was great."
Dart finished his rookie season with 2,272 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, five interceptions, 487 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. He completed 63.7% of his passes and went 4-8 as a starter after taking over for Russell Wilson.
The Giants hired Harbaugh as their new HC in the offseason. Former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy is New York's new OC. He will call plays this season.
Both Nagy and Harbaugh are very, very high on Dart, who was somewhat defiant last season about sliding or running out of bounds to avoid the big hit. The reckless style of play became a talking point that often overshadowed his accomplishments on the field.
"One of the many great things about Jaxson Dart is he does so many things so well," Harbaugh said about Dart. "There is a lot of different elements that Jaxson can play in. I'm not sure what he really can't do."
"I was able to watch a decent amount of Jaxson last year, when I was in Kansas City," Nagy said about Dart. "We tried to take as little time as possible watching the quarterback position, but every year I will watch just to see the top guys that are there, and I remember coming away impressed with Jaxson and his accuracy."
In Year 1 of the Harbaugh era, the Giants play the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders, New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions.
If Dart can lead the Giants to the playoffs this season, he could be in MVP talks. He has to be careful, though, when he's running.
The Giants haven't made the playoffs since the 2022 season. That was the first year of the Brian Daboll era.
