Jaxson Dart’s knee injury has left the Giants staring at a messy quarterback picture, and one possible answer is sitting right in their division.
Dart was hurt on the first drive of Monday night’s Week 2 loss in Los Angeles, when he got caught between Rams pass rushers Byron Young and Josaiah Stewart. His leg bent awkwardly on the play, and he immediately clutched his left knee.
At first, there was some optimism: he walked off under his own power, the X-rays were negative, he said he felt well enough to return, and he spent the rest of the game on the sideline in street clothes. But the latest word is far more troubling, with reports that the knee injury was “worse than anticipated” and that he could miss an extended stretch, possibly the rest of the season.
That turns the Giants’ backup plan into a real issue. Jameis Winston is on the roster for exactly this kind of situation, but he struggled in relief. If New York wants to make a move, Joe Milton III looks like the cleanest swing.
Milton is currently on the Cowboys’ practice squad, which makes him a realistic target for New York. The Giants could sign him directly to the active roster, though if they take him from Dallas, they’d need to keep him on the 53-man roster for at least three weeks. And with New York already having to sort through its quarterback depth, there’s no real roster spot to waste.
The alternative would be elevating Jake Haener from the practice squad, but Milton offers a different level of upside. The 26-year-old was a sixth-round pick in the 2024 Draft, going 193rd overall out of Tennessee to the Patriots before being traded to Dallas in 2025 to avoid any potential locker room friction with Drake Maye also on the roster and selected in the 2024 Draft.
At 6-foot-5 and 236 pounds, Milton has the kind of arm that jumps off the screen. He’s appeared in five games over his first two NFL seasons, throwing for 424 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 69.8% of his passes. He also turned heads this preseason, finishing 29 of 43 for 378 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
If Dart is truly headed for a long absence, the Giants need another quarterback anyway. They can patch things together with Haener, or they can take a shot on a player with more talent and a much higher ceiling. And if that shot comes at the Cowboys’ expense, all the better.
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