Giants QB Jaxson Dart Ranked in Top 5 Backup QBs in New Analysis

Jaxson Dart has yet to throw a pass in the NFL, and yet he placed surprisingly high in a new ranking of the league's backup quarterbacks.

Jaxson Dart, quarterback with the NY Giants | Anne-Marie Caruso/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart has yet to take the field in an NFL regular season game and may not do so until later this year, if at all this season.

And yet, despite that possibility, Dart, the 25th overall pick in the 2025 draft and the man the Giants hope will become their franchise quarterback for the next decade or more, earned a rather impressive, if not surprising, ranking from SI.com in its list of all 32 backup quarterbacks for the coming season.

Dart, who made Gilberto Manzano’s list ahead of veteran Jameis Winston, who was signed to be the backup to projected starter Russell Wilson, was ranked as the fifth-best backup quarterback in the league, behindKirk Cousins (Falcons), Jimmy Garoppolo (Rams), Daniel Jones (Colts), and Jake Browning (Bengals).

Manzano, in his assessment, doesn’t make a strong case either way for where Dart landed, noting that while the rookie has yet to take an NFL snap, “The Giants view him as a long-term starter after trading back into the first round to take the Ole Miss product at No. 25. 

“Russell Wilson is the starting quarterback of the Giants, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Dart takes over midway through the season.” 

What Manzano is forgetting is Winston. Winston was signed to a two-year contract, which, in reviewing the money and the contract structure, screams No. 2 quarterback. 

To rank Dart as a No. 2 guy, he would have to pass Winston on the depth chart. And while that’s a possibility–remember, as the No. 3 guy on the depth chart, Dart figures to be the emergency quarterback on gamedays unless head coach Brian Daboll decides he can afford to have all three quarterbacks dress–the more likely scenario could see Dart leap-frogging over the No. 2 spot and into the starting role once he’s ready.

In other words, to consider Dart a backup in the true sense of the word (as a No. 2 guy) is probably inaccurate. However, only time will tell if Dart indeed moves past Winston on the depth chart.

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