Jaxson Dart is heading into Week 1 with almost nothing on the preseason ledger, and the Giants are clearly fine with that.
He logged just two series in the preseason opener against Minnesota, went 3-for-4 for 26 yards and a touchdown to Malachi Fields, and then disappeared into the rest of August in a baseball cap. That’s the full warm-up act before New York sends its starting quarterback into a Sunday Night Football matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
The bet here is obvious: the Giants are leaning on what Dart already proved last season.
His rookie year gave the team plenty to work with. Dart threw for 2,272 yards and completed 63.7% of his passes, while piling up 15 passing touchdowns against 5 interceptions.
He also added 487 rushing yards and 9 rushing scores, giving him 24 total touchdowns in 12 starts. That production earned him a Pepsi Rookie of the Year nomination and gave New York a reason to treat August like a formality.
The Giants went 4-8 in Dart’s starts after opening 0-3 under Russell Wilson, but that record doesn’t tell the whole story. One of those wins came in Week 4 against a then-undefeated Chargers team, and it was Dart’s first career start.
That kind of debut changes how a team thinks about a quarterback. If a rookie can account for two dozen touchdowns and take down an unbeaten opponent in his first game, a couple of preseason drives stop looking all that important.
John Harbaugh made that confidence pretty clear by sitting Dart for the final two preseason games and giving the Week 2 start to backup Jameis Winston. It was a conscious choice to protect a player the organization has built its offense around. Harbaugh has said publicly that he values game experience in the preseason, per Giants.com, so the decision to keep Dart on the sideline says plenty about how much trust the staff has in him.
There is still a real question hanging over Sunday night: Dart has only 12 career starts, and the Giants’ first-team offense reportedly had its rough patches during training camp. That makes rust a legitimate concern when you’re opening in primetime with so little live work under your belt. But the Giants are banking on the idea that Dart’s rookie tape already answered the kinds of questions preseason reps are supposed to answer.
Dallas will likely force him to prove it with both his mind and his legs. Dart’s 9 rushing touchdowns last season gave defenses another problem to solve, and that mobility can be a major escape hatch when the pocket starts to cave. Getting the ball out on schedule to Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, and tight end Isaiah Likely would help New York avoid the third-and-long situations where the Cowboys can tee off.
The health of Malik Nabers is another major piece of the puzzle. He is working back from the torn ACL that ended his 2025 season, and his Week 1 availability against Dallas is still unsettled. If Nabers is limited, Dart will have to do even more with his legs and spread the ball around to Skattebo, Najee Harris, and a thinner receiver group.
There is also one stabilizing factor working in Dart’s favor: left tackle Andrew Thomas returning to full health. That gives him the clean blind side a young quarterback needs, especially in a loud primetime environment.
Dart doesn’t need a flawless debut. He just needs the version of himself that already beat an undefeated team as a rookie, and the Giants spent the summer acting like that’s exactly what they expect to see.
In Other News...
Giants Turn To Familiar Ravens Pipeline As Linebacker Need Grows
The Giants added a familiar face to their linebacker group this week, signing veteran Malik Harrison to the practice squad as they look for more help at the position. Harrison comes with a clear connection to the organizations new defensive leadership, having spent five seasons under John Harbaugh with the Ravens before a year in Pittsburgh, and the move gives New York a player who already knows the kind of system and expectations that come with that background.
For a Giants team trying to stabilize its depth, the timing matters. Harrison is expected to be in the mix quickly, but the signing also means the club has to clear room on a 17-player practice squad, adding a small roster decision to a bigger effort to patch up a thin spot on defense. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Still Have One Unsettled Roster Issue Before Week 1
Joe Schoen has made no secret of wanting more help inside, and the Giants are still treating defensive tackle as a spot that could use another look before Week 1. Over the past stretch, the team has brought in several defensive linemen for workouts, while also keeping options on the practice squad, a sign the front office is still sorting through ways to add depth to the middle of the defense.
For a roster that is otherwise trying to get through the final week of preparation, it is one of the last lingering questions on the table. No trade or signing has surfaced yet, but the Giants interest in upgrading that group has not gone away, and the timing suggests the search could continue right up to the opener. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Part Of A Powerful Week 1 9 11 Tribute
The league is marking Week 1 with a wide-ranging tribute to the victims and heroes of the September 11 attacks, and the Giants will be part of it in ways that reach beyond the field. Across stadiums and broadcasts, the NFL is planning moments of remembrance and community-focused efforts, while the Giants and Jets will wear commemorative hats and T-shirts honoring first responders.
The local piece of the gesture is especially pointed in New York, where the Giants, Jets and Washington Commanders are set to donate $1 million to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The NFL Foundation is also contributing $250,000 to 9/11 Day, adding another layer to a league-wide acknowledgment that is designed to be felt in the stadium, on the air and in the communities those games represent. [Read more 🡒]