It goes without saying that huge things are expected out of Jaxson Dart as he gears up for his second season in the NFL.
Dart compiled a solid rookie season for the New York Giants last season, even though the wins weren't quite there. The 23-year-old completed over 60% of his passes with 2,272 passing yards, 15 touchdown passes, nine rushing scores against just five interceptions.
Now with a new head coach in John Harbaugh -- and a hopefully healthy duo of Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo and an improved offensive line -- there seems to be no excuse for Dart to take that huge a leap in year two in the NFL. That breakout, however, might just hinge on whether the former first-round pick can work on the biggest flaw in his game or not.
Jaxson Dart's second season rides on him staying healthy
In an article for CBS Sports, Jared Dublin pinpointed Dart's need to stay healthy and avoid huge hits after they plagued him last year.
"He left several games due to injury and played with a reckless physical style that frankly isn't sustainable," Dublin wrote.
"Being more willing to play inside the structure of the offense will help him stay on the field, but will he be as productive a passer and runner if he does that? He was better as a rookie when the play broke down, using his athleticism to extend the play by either running or finding someone in the scramble drill."
If you can name one part of Dart's game last year that drove the Giants and their fan base crazy, it was his refusal to slide to instead take big hits. Dart was checked out of multiple games last season for a concussion and ultimately missed three games due to officially being in concussion protocol.
It goes without saying that was a major problem for New York to deal with and one they surely don't want to see happen again. While Dart's aggressive playing style is certainly exciting to watch, the Giants need their franchise quarterback to remain healthy this season if they want to make it back to the postseason.
The potential is there for Jaxson Dart to become a successful NFL quarterback. But it all rides on staying healthy, which all starts with him not taking those huge hits.
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