The Giants may have landed Jaxson Dart in April, but there’s a strange little chain of events that helped get them there, and Drew Lock is part of it.
Dart, the No. 25 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, looked the part Sunday in a stunning upset of the NFC East rival Cowboys. He accounted for three touchdowns and piled up 284 total yards, with 230 through the air and 54 on the ground. Just as important for New York, the Giants’ offensive line kept him clean and kept him away from what has seemed like a routine concussion evaluation.
That kind of outing is exactly why Giants fans are starting to talk about Dart like he might be the answer. And if they’re feeling especially grateful, they might want to send a thank-you card to Lock.
Lock’s role goes back to last season. The quarterback, who spent 2024 in New York after signing a one-year, $5 million deal to back up Daniel Jones, finished the year by losing four of his five starts. His lone win came against the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 29, 2024, and that result wound up shaping the draft order in a big way.
Because of that victory, the Tennessee Titans ended up with the No. 1 pick, while the Giants slid to No. 3 behind the Cleveland Browns. The Browns later dealt that selection to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who used it on reigning Heisman Trophy winner and Colorado two-way standout Travis Hunter.
Had the Giants landed the top spot, the obvious choices would have been to trade down or take Cam Ward. More realistically, they likely would have taken Ward themselves. What they would have done at quarterback beyond that - whether Russell Wilson and/or Jameis Winston would still have entered the picture - is a separate question.
What shouldn’t be part of the discussion is the lazy idea that Ward would simply have been a bust in New York. That kind of argument only really fits players whose issues are tied to maturity and work ethic, the sort of profile that brings JaMarcus Russell to mind. Ward doesn’t seem to belong in that category.
Even so, his Sunday was another rough one. The No. 1 pick a year ago struggled again in a home loss to the rebuilding Jets, finishing with fewer than 200 passing yards for the 10th time in 18 starts. He also drew attention for once again slamming a tablet to the ground in frustration.
For now, Ward’s career is being dragged around by bigger problems than talent. The picture that keeps emerging is one of a quarterback caught in bad leadership and worse structure. And after the Giants’ defense handled Dak Prescott and the Cowboys, it doesn’t take much imagination to wonder how Ward would have looked on the road in that kind of environment.
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Giants Have One Costly Problem To Fix Before The Rams
The Giants got the result they wanted in their season opener against the Cowboys, and they also got a reminder that the early part of a season can expose problems as quickly as it can hide them. Young players like Malik Nabers and Jaxson Dart gave the offense a jolt, but the bigger conversation coming out of the game centered on ball security, with John Harbaugh specifically flagging it as an area New York needs to clean up.
That matters even more with the Rams next on the schedule, because giveaways can erase the edge a team earns from energy and youth. Around the team, there is also growing fan chatter about possible trades now that salary cap space has opened up, but before any bigger roster talk takes hold, the Giants have a more immediate task in front of them: making sure the ball stays where it belongs. [Read more 🡒]
Dexter Lawrences Bengals Debut Reminded Giants Fans Why He Was Moved
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For New York, the part that lingers is not just the trade compensation but the expectation that came with moving on from a player who had been central to the defense for years. Lawrences debut was statistically quiet, yet the larger conversation around him still centers on the same thing it always has: how much impact he can create even when the numbers do not fully show it, and whether Giants fans will come to view this as a necessary reset or a loss they will keep measuring for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Jameis Winston Just Gave Giants Fans Another Reason To Love Him
The Giants win over Dallas already had the locker room feeling loose, and Jameis Winston helped keep it that way when a postgame video of him spraying cologne started making the rounds. Winston, who has quickly become one of the more visible personalities in the building, leaned right into the moment by answering the viral clip with a TikTok of his own. It was the kind of light, self-aware reaction that tends to travel well in a New York market that appreciates confidence when it comes with a sense of humor.
Winstons role remains that of a backup quarterback, but the Giants recently rewarded him with a two-year extension, a sign they value more than just the arm he brings to the room. For a team coming off a win against Dallas, having a veteran who can absorb attention without making it about himself is no small thing. The only question now is how much more of this side of Winston the Giants will keep getting as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]