The New York Giants have undergone tremendous change this offseason. They now have a decorated, veteran head coach in John Harbaugh. They have an almost entirely new coaching staff. They have a revamped roster, particularly on defense.
One thing has not changed, though. And it is likely the most important thing. The future of the Giants largely rests on the development of second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Dart had a promising rookie season after the Giants traded back into the first round of the 2025
NFL Draft to select him 25th overall. His play and his personality excited the fan base.
Things, though, could have gone better. The Giants went just 4-8 in Dart’s 12 starts. Brian Daboll, the head coach who pushed the Giants to select Dart, and whom he professed his love for, got fired midseason. Dart missed two games with a concussion. Dart was evaluated for concussions five times, including once in the preseason, as he stubbornly subjected himself to too many big hits. He completed just 16 of 50 throws of 20+ yards, 32%. That was 32nd among 36 qualifying quarterbacks, and confirmed an issue in his game that evaluators like Matt Waldman of The Rookie Scouting Portfolio had pointed out before the draft.
Dart was charged by Pro Football Focus with allowing 39.1% of the pressure he faced, by far the most of the 41 qualifying quarterbacks graded in that category. Shedeur Sanders allowed the second-most pressure at 29.1%. That indicates that decision-making in the pocket was leading to undue pressure.
So, there is much for Dart to improve upon in his second NFL season.
Let’s look at whether the Giants will be better or worse at quarterback during the upcoming season as we complete offseason position-by-position “better or worse” series.
Key additions: Brandon Allen
Key losses: Russell Wilson
The roster: Jaxson Dart, Jameis Winston, Brandon Allen
- Better or worse? NY Giants defensive line a question mark entering 2026
- Better or worse? Cam Skattebo’s return key for NY Giants at running back
- Better or worse? NY Giants should be more dynamic at tight end
- Better or worse? NY Giants should be better at wide receiver
- Better or worse? Andrew Thomas, Sisi Mauigoa hold keys to NY Giants’ offensive line
- Better or worse? NY Giants made off-ball linebacker an offseason priority
- Better or worse? Abdul Carter key to how good NY Giants will be on the edge
- Better or worse? NY Giants have potential to be improved at cornerback
- Better or worse? NY Giants deeper at safety, but will the starters improve?
Why they could be better
Quarterback development is not linear. It does not happen in a nice, neat straight line that climbs upward until the quarterback arrives at the summit of his powers as a completed project. Mark Schofield, now of SB Nation, taught me that years ago.
Dart “should” be better in his second year than he was in his first. That, though, is not guaranteed. Maybe he will improve in some areas, and regress or flatline in others.
There are, though, a lot of reasons why Dart — and consequently the Giants at quarterback — should be better in 2026.
Experience
Every young quarterback faces an NFL learning curve. Offenses are more complicated than in college. Defenses are more complex, and more athletic. Inexperienced quarterbacks often rely more on their legs than might be ideal, bailing out of the pocket more quickly than might be preferred when they become uncertain what they are looking at.
That uncertainty is likely a big part of the reason for Dart’s league-worst rate of self-inflicted pressure.
As he gains more and more understanding of defenses, and more comfort in finding his second, third, and fourth options on passing plays, that self-inflicted pressure rate should decrease. It might also help keep him out of the medical tent.
Why is that? Though the quarterback run is now an accepted part of the NFL game, and the ability to get out of the pocket and make plays when necessary is advantageous, in the pocket behind offensive linemen who know where you are is still the safest place for a quarterback. It is where the quarterback is afforded more protections by the rulebook than any other player. Those go out the window when the quarterback starts running around.
Of course, breaking the pocket and making plays with his legs is one of Dart’s strengths and something he will continue to do. Like Daboll, Mike Kafka and Shea Tierney in 2025, Harbaugh, offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, and quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan have been in Dart’s ear about doing more to protect himself in the open field.
Dart seems to understand. He spoke earlier in the spring about the need to make “mature decisions” when running with the ball.
“It’s important for the quarterback to make sure how he’s feeling one play that he’s going to feel that same way the next play,” Dart said this spring. “And at the same time, just having the experience last year of sitting out two games, I hadn’t done that in my career. So, I just hated that time of not being out there with my teammates.
“I mean my competitiveness isn’t going to change at all. I think, just like I said, it just goes into situationally. Just what times it’s worth it and what times it’s not. And just making those mature decisions.”
Dart is also the unquestioned starter this season. He doesn’t have to bide his time watching Russell Wilson get first-team practice reps or wait until Wilson fails to get his opportunity to play. Being the unquestioned starter has to help.
Surrounding cast
Dart’s first start last season was Malik Nabers’ last game of 2025 as he missed the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Nabers’ availability for the beginning ot the season remains in question as he rehabs from a “complicated” knee injury, and he was seen limping around at the Brian Burns Charity Softball Game on Saturday. Still, he should be available for far more than three-plus games in 2026.
Running back Cam Skattebo, who energized the team and the fan base along with Dart last season, missed half the season after a gruesome ankle fracture. He appears to be on track to be ready for the beginning of the season.
The Giants added guard Francis Mauigoa in the draft, and he should help the run-blocking while becoming a long-term part of the offensive line.
The Giants also added a couple of big-bodied receivers who could help with Dart’s issues completing deeper throws. Tight end Isaiah Likely, 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, could spend considerable time in the slot, where 5-8, 185-pound Wan’Dale Robinson was stationed a year ago. Third-round pick Malachi Fields is a 6-4, 218-pound wide receiver with a 79-inch wingspan (82nd percentile) who specializes in the downfield contested catch.
On Monday, the Giants added receivers. Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Braxton Berrios.
All of that should help Dart be better.
Coaching staff
The Daboll-Dart pairing was one that many around the NFL who respect Daboll’s ability with quarterbacks looked forward to. It was a good one, but the won-loss record over a period of nearly three years and other factors led to Daboll losing his job.
Enter Harbaugh. He is not a quarterback guru or an offensive coach. Harbaugh is a former special teams coach who is admittedly more intimately involved in the orchestration of the defense than the offense. Still, he won a Super Bowl with Joe Flacco at quarterback and helped Lamar Jackson win two MVP awards.
Harbaugh knows what good quarterback play looks like, and he has always had the ability to identify and attract good assistant coaches.
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan are both former head coaches. Senior offensive assistant Greg Roman is a multiple-time offensive coordinator, including for Harbaugh, and a run game aficionado.
“It’s our job to surround him [Dart] and insulate him, give him direction, but he has to be able to tell us how he likes it, why he likes it, and so forth. We’re going to be really intentional on how we do that,” said Nagy. “You look at Brian Callahan. He’s been around a lot of great quarterbacks too, and he’s in a room with them now. He’s seen (former NFL quarterback) Peyton Manning to (Rams quarterback) Matthew Stafford to (Bengals quarterback) Joe Burrow. That’s valuable. That’s really valuable.”
Daboll and Kafka were good for Dart. Harbaugh and his staff should be, too.
Why they could be worse
Well, sometimes things just don’t work out the way you hope they will.
Non-linear development sometimes includes steps back. If Dart unexpectedly takes steps backwards in some areas, quarterback play could be problematic.
If Dart can’t stay on the field, that could be problematic. Everybody loves Jameis Winston. Until Winston has to play too much and his habit of throwing too many passes to the guys wearing the wrong colors becomes hard to watch.
Maybe Dart isn’t what we think he is, which is a long-term solution at the quarterback the Giants should be able to build around. Remember, there was a lot of excitement about Daniel Jones after his rookie season, too. Sometimes, things just don’t go the way you hope they will.
The verdict
The Giants should be better at quarterback because Dart should be better in his second season. Unless he’s not.
