Jaxson Dart has plenty to absorb this offseason as he settles into a new coaching staff and learns Matt Nagy’s offense. The one part of the equation the New York Giants appear to have simplified for him is up front.
Barring injuries, Dart won’t have to deal with any uncertainty along the offensive line. John Harbaugh has kept the same first unit together throughout training camp, with Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor at tackle, Jon Runyan Jr. and rookie Francis Mauigoa on the interior, and John Michael Schmitz at center.
That setup isn’t exactly a mystery. Harbaugh had essentially pointed to Mauigoa as the starter at right guard when the Giants drafted him in April, and the other four are all returning starters. Runyan and Schmitz are also in contract years.
The second unit is mostly settled, too, according to The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. Marcus Mbow and Josh Ezeudu are working at tackle, Daniel Faalele and Aaron Stinnie are handling the guard spots, and Lucas Patrick is the backup center.
The bigger takeaway for Dart is continuity. This group may not end up as one of the great offensive lines in league history, but a quarterback in his position can still appreciate knowing who is going to be lining up in front of him every week, especially with so much else changing around him.
That context matters after Pro Football Focus raised the idea that Schmitz could lose his job at center. There had been no sign that the fourth-year lineman was in danger of being benched.
There is also the easy argument that the line gets blamed too quickly for every rough play. Dart is a dual-threat quarterback, and some of the heavy contact he took came while he was running. Those snaps can’t all be pinned on the blockers.
Still, the numbers from last season were ugly. Dart was sacked on 9.36% of his passing attempts, which ranked fifth-worst among qualified quarterbacks. Harbaugh’s Ravens were even worse in that category, with Lamar Jackson posting a 10.65% sack percentage that ranked second behind only the Raiders’ Geno Smith.
Faalele was part of that group and started all 17 games for Baltimore last season. Harbaugh also had tight end Isaiah Likely and fullback/tight end Pat Ricard involved in blocking duties for Jackson.
Jackson’s scrambling only goes so far in explaining it, too. His 10.65% sack rate was the worst of his career and a major jump from 4.63% in 2024.
So what should make Dart feel better about the Giants’ line? It comes down to the simple stuff: the team already knows its starters, and four of the five players up front bring real starting experience. Mauigoa arrives with his own résumé as well, after being an All-American and a multi-year starter at Miami.
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