The New York Giants are at something of crossroads in 2026. They’re hoping that the combination of quarterback Jaxson Dart and head coach John Harbaugh can lift the team back to competitiveness.
The rest of the NFL seems to be taking a “wait and see” approach, particularly with respect to Dart.
The Athletic released itsannual Quarterback Tiers list on Tuesday, ranking the all 35 veteran quarterbacks expected to play significant snaps in 2026. Dart ranked 24th on the list, just below names like Daniel
Jones, Bryce Young, and Kyler Murray.
The Athletic constructed the list by polling 50 coaches and executives from around the NFL, keeping their responses anonymous.
The panel this year consisted of eight general managers, five assistant GMs, five former GMs and three other executives, plus nine head coaches, 10 defensive coordinators, five offensive coordinators, two offensive assistants, one defensive assistant and two coaches specializing in analytics/game management. That’s 21 execs and 29 coaches overall.
The voters are asked to divide the 35 quarterbacks into five tiers, ranging from the elite quarterbacks who carry their team on a week-to-week basis, to Tier 5 quarterbacks, who probably shouldn’t see the field.
There were five “newcomers” who hadn’t been included in a “Tiers” list before, Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Shedeur Sanders, and Malik Willis. Due to insufficient data — four of them were rookies and Willis hadn’t played enough — they were grouped in the third tier.
And of those newcomers, Dart is the most highly-regarded by coaches and executives around the NFL. Dart was ranked an average 3.24 by the voters, ahead of Cam Ward (3.34) and Tyler Shough (3.42). And while Dart didn’t get as many “Tier 2” votes as Ward or Shough (two for Dart while the others got four each), he also got far fewer “Tier 4” votes than his fellow rookies.
The third tier is defined as:
- Legit starter but needs better running game or defense to win
- Lower-volume dropback passing offense suits him best
Interestingly, and perhaps predictably, defensive coordinators have a more favorable view of Dart than do offensive coaches or executives. Running quarterbacks and explosive playmakers are the bane of defensive coordinators’ existences, and we’ve seen defenses shift radically to account for those skill sets over the last five or six years. And from that perspective, it makes sense that defensive minds would respect Dart.
“It’s more athleticism, playmaking ability, splash plays than consistency,” a defensive coach said.
Dart was one of the best running quarterbacks in the NFL, putting up rushing numbers that deserve to be talked about in the same conversation as Cam Newton, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson. But at the same time, Dart was a very “boom or bust” player. He thrived in chaos and producied big plays when pressured, but was also one of the NFL’s least-efficient quarterbacks on a down-to-down basis when pressured.
That lack of efficiency and consistency has offensive coaches skeptical.
Conversely, offensive minds were much more favorable in their view of Shough, who was very consistent from down to down in Kellen Moore’s offense. Former quarterback and NFL scout Nate Tice said in his review of the rookie quarterbacks that Shough is “very Tua coded” in his play. In other words, he’s dedicated to staying on time and on schedule, and consistently throws the ball away when pressured, rather than attempt to take a risk and create a big play as Dart does.
Executives, meanwhile, question whether Dart’s play style makes him a long-term risk.
“I’m going to give Jaxson a nudge and give him a 3, arrow up,” a GM said. “But he is not going to change his style of play, so that is where I’m like, ‘I don’t know if this guy is going to last.’”
Quarterback picks need to pay off long term, because quarterback consistency is what makes offensive play predictive of future success. If a quarterback can’t be available, then the team as a whole won’t be consistent, which has a way of costing executives their jobs.
However, the responses do seem to be positive overall regarding Dart’s future. That same defensive coach from above said,
“That is one where if (offensive coordinator) Matt (Nagy) does a good job, he can get back in the head-coaching mix.”
“I do like Dart,” a defensive coordinator said. “He can throw it. He’s athletic, and he has a little moxie about him. I like that s—.”
The Giants like that [expletive deleted] as well, but like the offensive minds and unnamed GM, they’re also hoping that Dart can improve his consistency and cut down on the risky plays. If he can, he could find himself following in the footsteps of Drake Maye and Caleb Williams and making the leap for Tier 3 to Tier 2 next year.
