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Jaxson Dart, Not John Harbaugh, Holds Key to Giants' Future

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New coach John Harbaugh calls Jaxson Dart more talented than expected as the second-year QB works to master under-center play-action for the 2026 Giants.

John Harbaugh has brought fresh optimism to the New York Giants heading into the 2026 season, but the ceiling for the franchise rests on second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart. Harbaugh arrived with credibility, culture and a clear plan for building a football team after more than a decade of losing that has defined the Giants. Even so, the organization will only reach the heights it wants if Dart develops into the player the coaching staff believes he can become.

Dart's promise was one of the reasons Harbaugh took the job. Speaking with former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, Harbaugh said Dart is "even more talented than I thought he was." The coach praised the young quarterback's arm, pocket awareness and downfield vision, along with his ability to escape pressure and make plays on the move. Harbaugh singled out Dart's composure, describing a "patience and poise about him."

Dart enters the season with 12 NFL starts on his résumé, and Harbaugh made clear the quarterback is still developing. "He's learning," the coach said, adding that Dart must become "tight and refined" the way all quarterbacks do. Harbaugh compared the process to his time coaching Ben Roethlisberger, stressing that he does not want to strip away the instincts that make Dart effective.

The elite-arm question

Chris Simms of NBC Sports placed Dart at No. 22 in his annual quarterback rankings, one spot ahead of Cam Ward of the Tennessee Titans and one behind Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles. In an interview with Big Blue View, Simms said his central long-term question is whether Dart will ever throw the ball at an elite level.

Simms praised Dart's feel, instincts and knack for extending plays, calling his "backyard football" a genuine strength that he did not anticipate from Dart's college tape. He also described Dart as a solid decision-maker with a good arm. The uncertainty, Simms said, is whether that arm is truly elite: "I like his arm. I'm just saying I don't know if it's elite."

The analyst framed the gap around the handful of exceptional throws that separate the game's best passers. Naming Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Caleb Williams and Matthew Stafford, Simms said those quarterbacks make five or six plays per game that few others can. He credited Dart with hitting "the throws that are there to be made" but said he has not yet seen the 23-year-old produce those difficult, game-changing throws consistently.

Building around play-action

The Giants plan to have Dart operate under center far more than he did as a rookie, with an offense built around play-action passing from the pocket. That was not a strength last year: Dart completed just 57.3% of his play-action passes in 2025, ranking 24th of 26 qualifying quarterbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.

Dart has poured work into the change. Early in training camp he said the team had "repped the hell out of" under-center, play-action concepts, and he continued to spend heavy practice time on the footwork throughout the summer. Harbaugh said the transition has gone smoothly. "I don't know how much he's done it, but he looks good doing it. It hasn't been an issue at all," the coach said, adding that under-center work sharpens footwork because the drops are so precise.

Simms sees the scheme as a strong fit. He argued that play-action is now the best way to generate explosive plays, which he believes have become more predictive of winning than turnover margin as NFL defenses grow faster and more talented. Long, methodical drives, he noted, too often end in a strip-sack or a tipped interception, making big plays essential.

Simms said Dart is "made for" the offense the Giants are installing, with one lingering caveat: whether he can consistently make the tough throws from the pocket that the play-action design is built to create. For a franchise pinning its rebuild on Harbaugh's leadership and Dart's arm, that question will shape how far the Giants can climb in 2026.

Jaxson Dart, New York Giants, John Harbaugh, Giants quarterback, NFL 2026 season, Chris Simms QB rankings, play-action offense, Giants 2026

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