He’s played just 14 games in the NFL, but New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart already has “a chip on my shoulder, for sure.”
Dart put the league on notice after he finished fourth in the voting for the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award. The prize went to Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, but Dart also found himself overlooked in favor of New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough and New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson, per SNY.tv’s John Flanigan.
Not getting more appreciation for his efforts left Dart to put things bluntly. He told the critics to “Turn off the pictures of the players and look at the numbers, I feel like they speak for themselves, I don’t need to argue that. I have a lot of respect for the other guys who were part of it, It’s just a chip on my shoulder, for sure — I definitely feel disrespected.”
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There’s some validity to Dart’s complaints, but making less than a full season’s worth of starts on a 3-14 team was always going to hurt his case. So were concerns about his decision-making and the longevity of Dart’s aggressive playing style.
Dart needs to channel his aggression and frustration at being “disrespected” into the more solid structure he’ll get from new head coach John Harbaugh and an experienced coaching staff featuring two former offensive coordinators.
Jaxson Dart Still Has Room to Grow
Perhaps the competition for the award wasn’t the strongest, but it’s hard to justify Dart feeling slighted by not being named OROY. His numbers were solid, 2,272 yards and 15 touchdowns through the air, to go with 487 rushing yards and nine scores on the ground, but Dart rarely dominated games.
Even when he won, as he did in his first full start against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4, Dart passed for only 111 yards. He didn’t throw for 300 yards in a game all season, while his habit of taking hits drew the ire of a former Giants coach.
A perception grew that Dart has upside, but is still some ways off being a star at football’s most important position. Winning this award ahead of schedule wouldn’t have changed that perception.
Real change will come from how Dart responds to master motivator Harbaugh and the complementary play-callers around him.
Giants Trusting Experience to Develop Star QB
Harbaugh has put his trust in ex-Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to primarily handle Dart’s development. It looks like a smart move on the surface, since Nagy helped develop both Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes in KC, but one former NFL player has warned the Giants about Nagy’s otherwise mediocre record with quarterbacks.
Perhaps that note of caution prompted Harbaugh to reunite with Greg Roman, his one-time OC with the Baltimore Ravens. Roman is expected to be the leading voice in designing and calling Big Blue’s running game.
Protecting Dart with a run-heavy offense makes sense, but he’ll also benefit from Roman’s experience with Lamar Jackson. The latter was named NFL MVP when Roman called the plays for the 2019 Ravens, plays that took full advantage of the dual-threat skillset Jackson shares with Dart.
Dart has the right coaches around him to recreate a formula that turned a raw but gifted athlete into an award-winning quarterback. He can follow the same path if he uses the motivation from his OROY snub the right way, but Dart must also acknowledge he still has room to grow as a pro signal-caller.
Giants QB Jaxson Dart Warns NFL About ‘Chip on My Shoulder’