In his rookie season with the New York Giants, quarterback Jaxson Dart quickly earned a reputation for being reckless and unnecessarily putting his body on the line. Several analysts, and seemingly even his own coaches, have urged him to avoid those situations as he enters his second NFL season. However, after Saturday’s preseason game, it remains unclear whether the Giants’ signal-caller has ultimately received the message.
NFL Analyst Sounds Alarm Jaxson Dart
Colin Cowherd is the latest NFL analyst to weigh in on Dart’s play style and ability to stay on the field.
On his show, “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” Cowherd first suggested the NFL wasn’t trying to make an example out of Dart by sending him to the blue medical tent on Saturday, despite Dart believing the league may be doing just that.
“The NFL wants to protect its players,” Cowherd said in response to Dart’s comments. “The NFL did not wake up before that game and go, ‘Here’s what we want to do. Take the model looking New York quarterback and just take him off the field whenever we can and hide him in a blue tent.’ That is not what they’re trying to do.”
“So you got to be careful, Jaxson Dart,” Cowherd pleaded. “And again, when you look like him, and you’re as talented as this kid, there’s a line between confidence and arrogance and aggressive and reckless, and I’m watching that game, and I’m thinking, are we crossing that line?”
“You’ve got to stay out of the blue tent. That has become your brand… You’re just a steak and defensive coordinators are hungry wolves!”@colincowherd on Jaxson Dart ending up in the blue tent yet again pic.twitter.com/wU5MXZJMUA
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) August 17, 2026
The analyst then went as far as to propose the Giants could target a new quarterback in next year’s draft if Dart fails to stay healthy, and on the playing field.
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“Next year’s a great quarterback class. What if he’s in the blue tent six times this year, 11 times in two years, and he’s still like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know why I end up there,’ I do. Lose the ego. Slide,” Cowherd said.
Cowherd went on to reference the brutal sack Dart took to end the first quarter against the Vikings, blaming him for what appeared to be a misread by Giants third-year running back Tyrone Tracy Jr..
A big hit from Jay Ward to get the sack on Jaxson Dart 😳
(Via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/3jw4uaoLt3
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) August 15, 2026
Cowherd added, “You have got to get better pre-snap. Now, you can say, ‘Oh, running back missed it.’ That wasn’t even your blind side. Like, you got to see some of that.”
“There’s a reason Tom Brady almost never got tagged in his last 10 years,” Cowherd continued. “He saw it before they came. Same with Drew Brees. And I’m not asking you to be those guys yet, but you’re you’re really getting the reputation as, if I said to you, name a quarterback in the NFL that’s ‘blue tent guy.’ It’s blue uniform Jaxson Dart. It’s a bad place to be.”
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In 2025, Dart appeared in 14 games and started 12 for New York. He was reportedly evaluated for a concussion or sent to the blue medical tent five different times. Dart was also diagnosed with a concussion once, causing him to miss two games in the back half of the season.
When on the field, though, Dart was arguably the most impressive rookie quarterback. Across his 14 appearances, Dart completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,272 yards and 15 touchdowns to 5 interceptions. He also added 487 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground.
Dart placed 2nd among rookie quarterbacks with a 74.4 grade, only behind Saints’ Tyler Shough, according to PFN’s NFL QB Impact Metric.
Dart seems well on his way to becoming the Giants’ franchise quarterback for years to come, but if the recklessness continues and the medical tent visits remain at this alarming rate, his prime playing years could be cut short.
Time will tell whether Dart adjusts his playing style, but as Cowherd pointed out, avoiding unnecessary hits could pay major dividends throughout his NFL career.
