NFL coaches share concerns about Giants' Jaxson Dart

Recently hired New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh and new Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy have both spoken this offseason about how impressed they are with the toughness that quarterback and 2025 first-round draft pick Jaxson Dart showed throughout his rookie campaign. 

That supposed moxie also has some individuals around the NFL worried about whether or not Dart will be able to give the Giants a full season as a healthy QB1.

Jaxson Dart put himself in harm's way too often as a rookie 

"Not one person SNY touched base with failed to bring up the quarterback’s durability as a concern," NFL insider Connor Hughes of SNY shared about Dart for an article published on Wednesday. "Dart left games five times to get checked for a concussion. There was an alarming tendency, sources said, to put himself in harm's way, leading to unnecessary hits. 'That has to improve,' a head coach said. 'Self-preservation.'" 

Dart suffered a concussion during the Giants' Week 10 loss to the Chicago Bears on Nov. 9. He ultimately missed two games while in the concussion protocol, and he then took a crunching hit while trying to pick up an extra yard or two on a carry in his first game back in the lineup.

Following that contest, Dart somewhat controversially and defiantly insisted that top-tier quarterbacks around the league "take hits, too." While that's accurate, some seem to think Harbaugh and Nagy may need to work with Dart on when it's a good time to simply end a play healthy, and live for the next down of action. 

What's one more concern about Jaxson Dart?

"You see guys across the league who are competitive, tough leaders," a different offensive coach told Hughes while speaking about Dart. "Guys like [Josh Allen], [Bo Nix]. As rookies, you saw those traits in their game. They weren’t polished quarterbacks by any stretch, but those attributes stood out. Josh and Bo, they took the second steps when everything else caught up. They figured out how to play quarterback. It’s what separates them from someone like Paxton Lynch. Will Jaxson take that next step? You can see the guy loves football. Those guys are usually the ones who figure it out."

Some understandably have concerns about Dart's long-term health, but outsiders currently have no reason to question whether or not he will put in the work to improve throughout his first full offseason as a member of the Giants. One AFC source admitted to Hughes that he wishes his team had selected Dart in the first round of last year's draft. That says plenty about how members of the NFL community view the 22-year-old this spring.