The Giants’ Jaxson Dart problem has quickly turned into a quarterback search, and Joe Milton III now sits right in the middle of it.
Dart’s knee injury, which came on the first drive of Monday night’s Week 2 loss to the Rams in Los Angeles, is now being described as “worse than anticipated.” The early sense is that the 23-year-old could miss an extended stretch, with the possibility that he’s out for the rest of the season.
He was hit between Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart, his leg bent awkwardly, and he immediately clutched his left knee. Even after the scary scene, there was a brief run of optimism: Dart walked off on his own, X-rays were negative, he wanted back in, and he later finished the game on the sideline in street clothes.
That hope, though, appears to have been misplaced.
New York does have Jameis Winston for this situation, but his relief outing didn’t go well. That leaves the Giants looking for another option, and Milton looks like the kind of move that makes sense without forcing them into a costly trade.
Because Milton is on the Cowboys’ practice squad, the Giants could sign him straight to their active roster. If they do that, they’d need to keep him on the 53-man roster for at least three weeks. But with New York already in a spot where it would be Milton or Jake Haener getting elevated from the practice squad to handle the backup role, there isn’t much to lose.
Milton, 26, was a sixth-round pick in the 2024 Draft, going 193rd overall out of Tennessee to the Patriots. He was later traded to Dallas in 2025 to avoid possible locker room friction with Drake Maye also on the roster and selected in the 2024 Draft.
The appeal is obvious. At 6-foot-5 and 236 pounds, Milton has a big arm and some real upside.
He has played in five games over his first two NFL seasons, throwing for 424 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 69.8% of his passes. His preseason was even more impressive: 29 completions on 43 attempts for 378 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
If Dart is indeed out for most, or all, of 2026, the Giants need another quarterback anyway. They can stick with Haener and patch things together, or they can take a shot on a passer with more talent and a higher ceiling. Getting him from the Cowboys would just make it better.
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