Jordan RaananDec 17, 2025, 05:15 PM ETCloseJordan Raanan covers the New York Giants for ESPN and can be heard hosting on ESPN Radio. Raanan joined ESPN in 2016.Follow on X
Why a full offseason could be key for Jaxson Dart’s growth (1:38)Jason McCourty and Jeff Saturday explain how the upcoming offseason will be important for Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. (1:38)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Washington Commanders made it a point in their team meetings heading into last week’s game against the New York Giants that they treat rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart like a running back and get as many hits on him as possible.
“Absolutely not,” he said Wednesday. “I mean, [Georgia coach] Kirby Smart said the exact same thing every time he played against me. So did [former Alabama coach] Nick Saban. So did every coach that I played in college. This is nothing new. Just try to go out there and play smart. Be available for my team.”
That was college. This is the NFL. Dart took 15 total hits (on runs and passes) in Sunday’s 29-21 loss to the Commanders, tying his first career start against the Los Angeles Chargers for the most hits he took in a game during his rookie season.
The first-round pick also was forced to leave the game for two plays in the fourth quarter to be checked for a concussion. In the past 10 games that Dart has thrown at least one pass, dating back to the preseason, he has been examined for a concussion in five of them.
Dart was ultimately cleared and returned to Sunday’s game. Afterward, he was surprised the hit where he was sandwiched between a pair of defensive tackles near the goal line warranted him leaving the game.
During a recent episode of “Hard Knocks,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn was shown playing a clip from the Giants’ game against the New England Patriots and telling his team, “The QB, he’s a running back first. So this is a good hit by [Patriots LB Christian] Elliss on the sideline.
“[Dart] is not looking to go down and get into the slide. So we have to go out and hit him fellas. Alright?”
Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt later added: “The quarterback is a very competitive dual-threat guy. He will try to run the ball like a running back. He will try to run you over. He will try to stiff arm. He doesn’t really run out of bounds. He doesn’t slide a whole bunch. We can get the ball off him. The ball is life. It is air and we need it.”
Turnovers have not been a problem for Dart throughout his rookie season. He came into Sunday’s game with just three interceptions and one fumble lost in eight starts. Against the Commanders, he threw an interception and had a fumble recovered by Giants offensive lineman Jon Runyan Jr.
“They got a pick off me. I haven’t been a turnover-heavy player my entire career,” Dart said. “I think that is just one thing that coaches say in every single meeting.”
In a way, Dart seems to embrace the challenge. He knows teams are trying to get their hits on him when he’s running the ball.
“It just gets me excited. Just as a competitor, you want to go out there and compete,” Dart said. “Obviously, they’re acknowledging respect in a way. So I appreciate that. You want to go out there and play really good for your team. I think any time there are teams that are game-planning and they give respect to a player, I think it’s for a reason. We do the exact same thing when we go against defenses.”
“Obviously, you don’t want a guy to ever come out of the game, but if it’s because it’s for a reason that they think is someone’s hurt, then we get them looked at and we get them back in the game. And that’s just another opportunity for another guy on our team to step up and go make the play while he’s out.”
Why a full offseason could be key for Jaxson Dart’s growth (1:38)Jason McCourty and Jeff Saturday explain how the upcoming offseason will be important for Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. (1:38)
Jason McCourty and Jeff Saturday explain how the upcoming offseason will be important for Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. (1:38)
CloseJordan Raanan covers the New York Giants for ESPN and can be heard hosting on ESPN Radio. Raanan joined ESPN in 2016.Follow on X
He’s less surprised that teams are openly targeting him.