Giants' Jaxson Dart Has Found a New Potential 1,000-Yard Weapon

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is entering a pivotal sophomore campaign, and after not having many weapons at his disposal last year, things are looking quite a bit different heading into 2026.

Not only does Malik Nabers — who played all of three quarters with Dart last season before tearing his ACL — appear on track to play in Week 1, but rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields has been so impressive in training camp that he seems headed toward the No. 2 receiver role in the Giants' offense.

New York added free-agent receivers Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin III, Odell Beckham Jr. and JuJu Smith-Schuster, as well.

But none of those pass-catchers have been Dart's favorite target this summer. No; that has been tight end Isaiah Likely, whom the Giants signed to a four-year deal as one of John Harbaugh's first orders of business back in March.

Dan Duggan of The Athletic notes that Nabers will almost certainly take his place as Dart's top guy once he's fully healthy, but Likely will clearly be No. 2.

Considering how much Harbaugh liked to utilize tight ends — including Likely — in Baltimore, this does not come as too much of a surprise.

Likely was never able to truly break out with the Ravens because he was always playing in the shadow of Mark Andrews. He topped out at 42 receptions for 477 yards and six touchdowns in 2024, but it was clear he had No. 1 tight end potential.

At 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, Likely is more like a big-bodied wide receiver than anything else. He possesses tremendous athleticism and the ability to be featured as both a vertical threat and a reliable weapon in short-yardage situations.

What's more, Likely is a solid and willing blocker, which is not something you would typically expect from a tight end of his skillset and stature.

I truly believe there is a chance that Likely finishes with around 1,000 receiving yards this season, especially if Nabers is compromised in any way (even if Nabers plays Week 1, he might not be fully himself until later this season, or possibly not until 2027).

Likely is the perfect security blanket for Dart, and let's remember that Dart also developed a great rapport with fellow tight end Theo Johnson last season.

Dart has already shown his extreme willingness to incorporate tight ends into the offense, so it should be expected that he will target Likely a whole lot.

Yes, the Giants have some other intriguing options, but look for Dart to spend a whole lot of his second NFL campaign searching for Likely in the passing game.