Why Jaxson Dart Holds the Keys to John Harbaugh’s New-look Giants Offense

The New York Giants feel pretty good about where things stand at the quarterback position after a fairly successful first season by starter Jaxson Dart.

That doesn’t mean that Dart is anywhere close to being a finished product, and he’ll probably be the first to admit to that. There is a matter of learning a new offense, which, he admitted, includes “a lot of things that I haven't done before.”

At the same time, he’ll need to work through some of his own shortcomings, such as finding a balance between taking risks as a runner and being smart.

Giants QB Depth Chart: Starter

May 21, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) looks on during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | John Jones-Imagn Images

Jaxson Dart: Unlike last year, when the team went through OTAs and training camp, Dart has been the undisputed starter.

That’s important because, as he’s learning this new offensive system being implemented by offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, Dart is doing so by throwing to his top targets rather than to second- and third-string pass targets who may or may not even be on the roster.

Building rapport is key to a more fluid passing game, but, as noted, Dart still has some areas of his game he needs to improve, most notably his deep-ball decision-making, where last year, he completed only 32% of his passes of 20+ air yards.

He also averaged 3.08 seconds to throw, and while some of that was due to the receivers downfield not always separating, it still led to a 39.1% pressure rate for which Dart bore some responsibility.

If he can improve all that and also avoid potential turnover-worthy plays in which he’s throwing into double coverage, he should be able to cut down his 4.0% turnover worthy play rate from last year.

Giants QB Depth Chart: Backups

Jan 4, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston (19) waves to fans after the game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Jameis Winston: Winston started the season last year as QB3, largely due to the initial arrangement of having Russell Wilson as the starter and Dart as the QB2. Once the team moved on from Wilson as the starter, the errors on the depth chart were corrected.

Winston might be unpredictable when he’s pressed to play, but his skill set was always a closer match to what Dart brought to the table.

This meant that if Dart wasn’t available to play, the coaches didn’t have to change the offense as much as they might have had Wilson been the one called upon to play.

Giants Drafted: None

The Giants had a bunch of needs entering the 2026 draft, but quarterback was definitely not one of them.

Because of that, they were able to spend their two top-10 draft picks on other glaring areas of need, thus building up their roster around the quarterback they do have.

What We Know: Dart is John Harbaugh’s Guy

Sometimes when a new head coach comes in, he wants his guy at quarterback. And certainly in the early days of the Giants’ courtship of John Harbaugh following his dismissal from the Baltimore Ravens, there was some curiosity as to whether Harbaugh, if he took the Giants job, would want to start all over at quarterback.

As it turned out, Dart was one of the reasons why Harbaugh not only agreed to interview for the Giants’ opening but also accepted the job.

Now it’s up to the staff that Harbaugh has assembled–Nagy and quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan–to help Dart take his game to the next level.

What We Don’t Know: Two or Three?

May 21, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) and quarterback Brandon Allen (12) participate in a drill during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | John Jones-Imagn Images

Until he proves otherwise that he’s truly learned how to play smarter when asked to run, Dart remains an injury risk. That in turn could make Harbaugh’s decision about how many quarterbacks to keep easier.

But will they have room for three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster? That number is often a luxury when all three are healthy, so we’re not sure keeping three healthy quarterbacks on the roster makes all that much sense.

What makes sense is to see if they can get Brandon Allen, a veteran who was, in part, brought in for his familiarity with Callahan, to the practice squad.

There, he can continue serving as another backup option if needed, as well as a resource on what Callahan looks for from his quarterbacks.

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