The season-ending knee injury to quarterback Jaxson Dart has sent the New York Giants and their fans into a dark place.
Expectations were high coming into the season and rose even higher after Dart led the Giants to a convincing opening-night win over the hated Dallas Cowboys. That high was quickly dashed Monday night in Los Angeles, when Dart injured his knee in the Giants' lopsided loss to the Rams and will miss the rest of the season.
Management had a plan for that. They have veteran Jameis Winston in the fold under a new contract extension. Many experts feel Winston is the best backup in the NFL. But Winston played poorly in relief of Dart. His accuracy and timing were off, and he looked genuinely rusty.
To be fair, he ran the offensive plan
the coaches built for Dart. The two have different skill sets. When the Giants play the Tennessee Titans this Sunday, they're expected to have a game plan better suited to Winston's skill set.
But that's just one issue the quarterback room faces. The empty seats are the other. Dart will likely be placed on injured reserve (IR) this week, and Jake Haener will be elevated from the practice squad.
But is that enough? The Giants have to scour the countryside for another quarterback. At least one would think.
They could bring back Brandon Allen, who spent the offseason with them, but he was not impressive, to put it kindly, and got cut in favor of Haener.
The quarterback market right now is razor-thin. There are no really attractive candidates. In a recent post outlining some possible candidates the Giants might consider bringing in, USA TODAY's Jacob Camenker provided the following seven names: Jimmy Garoppolo, Josh Johnson, Joe Milton III, Jake Browning, J.J. McCarthy, Anthony Richardson, and Aiden O'Connell.
Feel any better? I didn't think so. Of those names, Garoppolo and Browning are free agents. Josh Johnson (Bengals) and Milton (Cowboys) can be signed off their teams' practice squads. The others would have to be traded for, as they are on NFL active rosters.
Giants head coach John Harbaugh has a relationship with Johnson, who has had three stints under Harbaugh with the Baltimore Ravens. He also knows Browning, a former Cincinnati Bengals backup, fairly well.
Milton would be an interesting add, as would McCarthy. Both played college ball at Michigan, where Harbaugh's brother, Jim, was the head coach.
Many fans and pundits are clamoring for McCarthy, a former first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings who is currently serving as their No. 3 emergency quarterback behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz. He is a project at best and most likely would not add much to the Giants' 2026 chances. His development has been slow. They need a quarterback who is more ready to play.
Milton has made plays in preseason games that have caught people's attention. He is physically gifted at 6-foot-5 and 236 pounds. He ran the 40 in 4.62 back in 2024 and has a rocket arm.
Giant fans would love Milton, who is a lot like a young Jameis Winston, just not as eccentric. If the Giants consider any of the seven names on the above list, Milton should be at the top.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants need QB depth after Jaxson Dart injury: Options are slim
