The New York Giants had to start veteran quarterback Jameis Winston in their Week 11 loss to the Green Bay Packers, because rookie QB Jaxson Dart was in the concussion protocol. Now, as the team prepares for Week 12, New York is hoping to have its promising rookie back under center. On Wednesday, Dart took a big step towards that happening.
The rookie quarterback returned to the practice field for the Giants, giving him the chance to be back in the lineup when New York plays the Detroit Lions on Sunday. While being back at practice moves Dart closer to a return, it’s important to note that he hasn't officially cleared concussion protocol yet. He’ll have to pass through the final steps of the process before he can officially be named starter again.
Jaxson Dart returns to practice for Giants
Dart, despite New York’s 2-5 record with him under center as the starter, has been having an exciting rookie season. In nine games, seven starts, he has completed 62.7% of his passes for 1,417 yards, 10 touchdowns, and three interceptions. The rookie quarterback also has 317 rushing yards and seven additional touchdowns on the ground.
Unfortunately, his ability to move the ball with his legs is what got him in trouble. While Dart’s rushing ability is an important part of his skillset, he doesn’t typically avoid contact like most quarterbacks do. That has resulted in the rookie getting banged up this season, and evaluated for concussions on four different occasions. In Week 10, the quarterback was actually diagnosed with one, and that’s why he’s currently going through the return to play protocol.
While he was sidelined on Sunday, a report came out that voices inside and outside the Giants’ organization have been driving across the message to Dart that he needs to change his play style. The message everyone is hoping Dart learned is that it’s ok to run, but it’s also ok to slide and get out of bounds. The young quarterback doesn’t need to add avoidable hits, because it could result in him being unavailable like he was in Week 11.
If Dart clears protocol and is able to start on Sunday, he will be able to show that he got the message.