Jaxson Dart was by far the most talented quarterback from last year’s draft class. But his approach as a consistent runner, which made him vulnerable to hits, led to multiple injuries. Throughout his rookie campaign, the New York Giants QB was evaluated for a concussion a whopping five times and missed two games due to confirmed cases.
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This approach is exactly what Jon Gruden and other coaches were worried about when Dart came into the league. In a viral YouTube video of Gruden’s QB Class, the coach heavily criticized the QB for his reckless and dangerous style of play. He urged Dart to consider some changes and avoid injuries.
As we know, all of Gruden’s fears came to fruition during Dart’s rookie season. But what about the upcoming 2026 season? According to Dart, he knows what he’s doing and isn’t planning to change the way he plays.
“It’s very situational-based. First or second down, like, alright, let’s be good with our bodies here. Let’s not take anything that’s unnecessary,” Dart said on the Ross Tucker Podcast, adding,
“In crucial situations, I promise you I’m not going to be the one that slides before that first down line. I’m gonna give it everything I got to get that first down.”
We saw multiple examples of this throughout Dart’s rookie year. The most notable one came in Week 13 against the New England Patriots. As the QB was scrambling down the sidelines looking to pick up extra yards and a first down, Pats defender Christian Elliss came over and delivered a shot to Dart that sent him flying into his own bench. It was second and thirteen, by the way.
The massive hit prompted shoving between both sides. It was a legal hit that wasn’t flagged because Dart chose to stay in bounds and put his body on the line. But he’s not going to stop doing this, he says.
“That’s the style I played with since I could ever remember, so why would I change it?”
“I think that it’s very situational based…”
“I promise I’m NOT going to be the one that’s going to slide before that first down marker, I’m gonna give it EVERYTHING…”
Giants QB @JaxsonDart discusses his mindset as a runner going into year two: pic.twitter.com/pETbCD0W8m
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) March 2, 2026
We could give Dart plenty of reasons why he might want to change his ways. The biggest one is that he could get seriously injured, and his football career could be severely altered or even end because of it. That’s money, fame, and happiness flushed down the drain.
It’ll be interesting to see how long Dart keeps up this “tough guy” act. It’s not like anyone would respect him less for sliding more and preserving his health. It’s a very common thing to do nowadays that even the best players, like Josh Allen, have adopted.
