Jaxson Dart’s name is getting tossed around plenty this offseason, but not always for the right reasons. The New York Giants quarterback has taken heat for the way he plays, with questions about how well he protects his body, his taste for dangerous throws, and the uneven stretches that came with being a rookie. Add in a rough start to training camp, and it’s no surprise some people have cooled on him fast.
That might be missing the bigger picture.
Lou Scataglia of NFL Spin Zone recently put Dart fourth on a list of the most underrated quarterbacks in the league, and that’s a strong sign that the arrow is pointing up even if the public conversation hasn’t caught up yet. Scataglia’s belief in the second-year leap was clear when he said, "His breakout in year two is coming."
There’s a case to be made that Dart is being judged without enough context. As a rookie, he walked into a tough setup: a coaching staff headed out the door, a receiver room that got even thinner after Malik Nabers went down, and a rookie running back behind him. That’s not exactly the kind of environment that lets a young quarterback settle in and breathe.
And yet, Dart still delivered 24 touchdowns and more than 2,700 total yards in 12 starts. His 91.7 passer rating and 63.7% completion rate were both strong numbers for a first-year quarterback in that spot. A lot of the draft-day concerns around him were already starting to fade by the end of the season.
Once he became the starter, Dart was asked to carry the offense, and he handled it. There were bumps along the way, sure, but he showed enough to justify real investment.
Now the situation around him looks far better. Brian Daboll is out, John Harbaugh is in, the wide receiver group has more depth, and the offensive line has improved significantly. In other words, the Giants are finally giving the young quarterback the kind of support he should have had from the start.
That’s why a big jump in 2026 doesn’t feel like a stretch. Dart has the arm strength, the accuracy, and the dual-threat ability to become an above-average quarterback in the right setup, and this looks like the right setup.
So while the training camp noise keeps piling up, the bigger story may be that Dart is positioned to make a lot of people rethink their take on him. He belonged on Scataglia’s underrated list. If anything, he might have been even higher.
In Other News...
Giants Camp Is Already Turning Up Pressure On Several Roster Names
Training camp is only getting started, but a handful of Giants already find themselves in an uncomfortable spotlight. The early returns have not been especially kind to Jaxson Dart as he works to adjust to the offense, Evan Neal has seen his reps reduced, Paulson Adebo has slipped out of the starting cornerback spot, and Ben Sauls is fighting through a crowded kicking competition. None of that has triggered any roster moves yet, but it has given the first stretch of camp a sharper edge for a team still trying to sort out where some of its key names fit.
For the Giants, the next few preseason practices and games will matter a lot for players trying to steady themselves before the roster picture tightens. Camp can always shift quickly, especially at spots where performance is being judged rep by rep, but these early struggles have already put pressure on several familiar names. The encouraging part for the staff is that there is still time to respond. The less encouraging part is that time is starting to feel limited. [Read more 🡒]
Malachi Fields Is Creating A Giants Receiver Problem They Can't Ignore
Malachi Fields has turned training camp into a real audition, and the rookie wide receiver from Notre Dame is making the most of every rep he gets. With injuries thinning the room around him, Fields has been able to show why coaches and analysts keep taking notice, flashing the kind of route running and physical play that can make a young receiver hard to ignore when the pads come on.
The most encouraging part for the Giants is how well Fields has translated that work into the red zone, where he has looked comfortable as a target and a finisher. For a roster still sorting out its receiver pecking order, his rise creates a problem the team has to pay attention to, because camp reps can start to look a lot more like regular-season opportunities when a rookie keeps stacking good days. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Could Complicate Cam Skattebos Role Sooner Than Expected
Cam Skattebo was always going to matter to the Giants' backfield plan, but the picture around him may be changing sooner than many expected. According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, the team is exploring ways to add another running back to the roster, a move that would give the offense more options behind its current group and keep the workload from settling too quickly in one direction.
The broader idea is pretty clear: New York wants a more dynamic runner alongside Skattebo, someone who can bring a different element to the rotation and help round out the depth chart. It is still unclear when, or even if, the Giants will actually make that move, but the reported interest suggests the backfield competition could get a lot more interesting before long. [Read more 🡒]