Jaxson Dart’s knee injury has left the Giants staring at an uncomfortable quarterback picture, and it may also have handed them a clean path to make a move on Joe Milton III.
Dart went down on the first drive of Monday night’s Week 2 loss in Los Angeles after being crushed between Rams pass rushers Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart. His leg bent awkwardly, he grabbed his left knee right away, and the early optimism around the injury didn’t hold up.
He walked off under his own power, the X-rays were negative, and he even asked to go back into the game. But the latest read is far less encouraging: his knee injury was said to be “worse than anticipated,” and he’s expected to miss an extended stretch, possibly the rest of the season.
That leaves New York without its franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future, and the Giants’ in-house answer, Jameis Winston, struggled in relief.
If the Giants want another option, Milton is sitting right there on the Cowboys’ practice squad.
Because Milton is on Dallas’ P-Squad, New York can sign him straight to the active roster without giving up anything in a trade. There is one catch: if the Giants take him from a division rival, they have to keep him on the 53-man roster for at least three weeks. Even so, that may be a worthwhile gamble for a team that suddenly needs another arm.
The alternative is thinner. Right now, it would come down to Milton or Jake Haener getting elevated from New York’s practice squad to handle the backup quarterback role, so the Giants aren’t exactly protecting a precious roster spot here.
Milton, 26, entered the league as a sixth-round pick in 2024, going 193rd overall out of Tennessee to the New England Patriots. He was traded to Dallas in 2025 to avoid any possible locker room issues with Drake Maye also on the Patriots’ roster after both were drafted in 2024.
At 6-foot-5 and 236 pounds, Milton brings the kind of arm that turns heads. In five games over his first two seasons, he has thrown for 424 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 69.8% of his passes. He was even sharper in this past preseason, going 29 of 43 for 378 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
If Dart is out for most - or all - of 2026, the Giants will need another quarterback anyway. They can roll with Haener and patch things together, or they can use the opening to take a bigger swing on a passer with more upside.
If that swing also takes Milton away from Dallas, so much the better.
In Other News...
JJ McCarthy Just Got Pulled Into A Surprise Giants Scenario
Jaxson Darts knee injury has created a sudden bit of uncertainty for the Giants, and the timing could hardly be worse. What had been framed as a young quarterback situation now comes with the possibility that Darts recovery might stretch into season-ending surgery, forcing the organization to reassess what the depth chart should look like if the injury sidelines him for a long time.
Into that uncertainty has drifted Minnesota quarterback JJ McCarthy, whose name is now being tied to a possible Giants pursuit as a backup or even replacement option. There has been no public word from the Giants about any interest, and any move would hinge on how Dart heals and whether Minnesota would even be willing to talk, but the injury has at least opened the door to a scenario New York probably did not expect to face this soon. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Suddenly Have A QB Depth Problem Steelers Could Solve
Jaxson Darts knee injury has left the Giants in a difficult spot, and the uncertainty around his return this season only sharpens the concern. For a team trying to keep its quarterback room stable, losing a young passer at this point forces the front office to look at every possible backup plan, especially with the season still hanging in the balance.
Mason Rudolph is one name that naturally comes into the conversation because the Steelers are carrying four quarterbacks on their active roster and he has been viewed as a possible trade candidate. If Pittsburgh decides it can afford to move one, the Giants could be a logical fit as they look to add depth and avoid being caught thin at the most important position on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Jameis Winston Is Giving Giants Fans Plenty To Talk About Again
A resurfaced clip from ESPNs Draft Academy has given Giants fans another reminder of why Jameis Winston has long been one of the NFLs more intriguing personalities. The mock interview, done more than a decade ago with Jim Harbaugh, shows the then-prospect being pressed on past disciplinary issues while Harbaugh zeroed in on honesty and how a player carries himself in team meetings.
For a fan base that has spent plenty of time debating what Winston brings both on and off the field, the footage feels especially familiar now that its making the rounds again. It is less about the interview itself than the kind of conversation it sparks, the sort that reminds observers how much Winston has always inspired curiosity, and why his name still tends to pull people back in whenever it reappears. [Read more 🡒]