The wait for Jaxson Dart to return from concussion is becoming excruciating for the New York Giants, but a recent social media post from the rookie quarterback changes the narrative significantly.
Dart posted on Instagram on Friday, November 21, with the caption, “soon 6.” The post prompted Dan Duggan of The Athletic to comment that Dart’s “been ruled out for tomorrow’s game, but his IG post indicates he’s not planning to spend much more time on the sideline.”
This is exactly the show of confidence in the rate of his recovery the Giants want to see from Dart. Especially when veteran backup Jameis Winston is set to start a second-straight game, this one against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Week 12.
The Giants are already ravaged by injuries entering a difficult road game, but Dart’s status isn’t about this week or even next. His health is the determining factor for what the Giants will look like beyond this season, as a team with a new head coach embarking on yet another rebuild.
One heavily dependant on finally having a true star at football’s most important position.
Safeguarding Jaxson Dart Key for Giants
Dart’s importance to both the immediate and long-term future of the franchise presents a new challenge for the Giants. Specifically, the careful balancing act of safeguarding the player who should become their most prized asset.
The obvious dilemma involves Dart’s naturally aggressive playing style. It’s based upon the 6-foot-2, 223-pounder taking on defenses with his own mobility and physicality.
Reducing Dart’s running threat would be a mistake, but the Giants can’t risk their QB1 being exposed to so many extra hits. Getting the risk and reward balance right will be a tricky process that can only be solved by smarter play-calling and more awareness from Dart about protecting himself.
The Giants are already trying to raise that awareness, urging the 25th pick in the 2025 NFL draft “to be more thoughtful and careful with when and how he runs,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Off the field, the Giants must carefully manage Dart’s injuries, an issue under the spotlight after he suffered a concussion against the Chicago Bears in Week 10.
Giants’ Handling of Injury Situation Under Scrutiny
Dart’s already had four stints in concussion protocol since entering the NFL, so his injury situation will continue to be under scrutiny. That scrutiny becomes more intense when applied to the role the Giants play in handling Dart’s recovery.
The current focus is on what the Giants did or didn’t do to keep Dart out of harm’s way after he was initially hurt against the Bears. As Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News put it, “Dart was not identified and evaluated by the Giants or the NFL’s concussion spotter and unaffiliated neurological consultants until he was allowed to go back on the field for two more plays.”
Leonard quoted Chris Nowinski, the founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, who said, “If that’s true, then that would be a failure of the protocol. Because what triggers the protocol is head impact and lying motionless, which he was. There’s actually fumbling a football and making no attempt to recover it. So unless he has three broken ribs, that’s a concussion.”
The implications are serious, although Leonard’s latest update only prolongs the wait for clarity. He reported “An NFL spokesperson told The News: ‘As is standard practice after a concussion we reviewed the matter with the NFLPA.’ But the league spokesperson would not elaborate. And the NFLPA had no comment.”
Getting Dart healthy is just the start of a new critical new process for the Giants. Doing things right to keep him on the field, particularly after interim head coach Mike Kafka has been replaced by a more permanent and established sideline general, will be key moving forward.
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