During the same week in which the New York Giants made major changes, they also advocated to Jaxson Dart that he strongly consider making some of his own.
People both inside and outside the Giants organization spoke with Dart, who remains in the concussion protocol, and urged the rookie quarterback to be more thoughtful and careful with when and how he runs.
Dart is out for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers due to the concussion he suffered last week against the Chicago Bears. He was spotted at practice last week going through stretching exercises, as he attempts to clear the protocol in time for next Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions.
But whenever Dart returns, those around him believe he will have to modify how he runs.
Dart has a propensity not only for running but also being aggressive in trying to gain extra yardage — often at the expense of his own well-being. It was how he suffered his concussion last week, fumbling on a third-quarter run in the Giants’ 24-20 loss to the Bears.
It marked the fourth time this season, including the preseason, that Dart was evaluated for a concussion.
The Giants have not done Dart any favors, according to the opinion of others around the league. New York has called a high number of designed runs for Dart this season, including five in Sunday’s loss in Chicago.
Since making his first start in Week 4, Dart has been hit 84 times combined between rushing and passing attempts — the second-highest total in the NFL during that stretch.
Dart has been told repeatedly, especially this past week, that missing games hurts his team more than not gaining extra yards and that he can’t help his team if he’s not in the game.
Giants quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney has shown Dart videos of multiple quarterbacks and pointed out the difference between being aggressive and acting in self-preservation.
The Giants went through this with quarterback Daniel Jones, now with the Indianapolis Colts, trying to teach him when to be aggressive and when to be smart, and now they are offering the same types of lessons to Dart.
It is why so many around the NFL admire and applaud the 6-foot-2, 223-pound Dart but also openly wonder about whether his playing style is sustainable. Various people have pointed out this season that if Dart doesn’t make the type of changes that others around him are advocating — and the Giants are showing him videos of — he will continue to put himself and the future of the franchise at risk.
Dart has appeared in nine games (seven starts) this season, completing 62.7% of his passes for 1,417 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. The former Ole Miss star has emerged as one of the NFL’s best running quarterbacks, rushing for 317 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 5.6 yards per carry.
He is the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to run for a touchdown in five consecutive games, and his seven rushing touchdowns are tied for the third most in league history for a rookie quarterback since 1950, trailing only Cam Newton in 2011 (14) and Josh Allen in 2018 (8).
When Dart returns to the field, he will be playing under Mike Kafka, whom the Giants named as their interim head coach Monday after firing Brian Daboll.
The Giants (2-8) have won just two of their first 10 games for the third straight year and were 11-33 under Daboll since the start of the 2023 season.
Kafka, who had been the Giants’ assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, said he will continue calling plays and announced that Jameis Winston had passed Russell Wilson on the depth chart and will be New York’s starting quarterback until Dart clears the protocol and returns.
Daboll went 20-40-1 as the Giants’ head coach with a .336 winning percentage, putting him behind the likes of Ben McAdoo and Ray Perkins.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan and ESPN Research contributed to this report.
