Jaxson Dart and his fiery personality could become a double-edged sword as the New York Giants‘ training camp heats up. It’s common for tempers to flare between the offense and defense during NFL practices, but it may still serve as a wake-up call for John Harbaugh and his staff to keep a close eye on things.
“Feisty end to practice as Jaxson Dart scrambled for a touchdown and flipped the ball in the face of corner Greg Newsome,” Dan Duggan of The Athletic reported on X. “[Defensive] players objected to QB scrambles since they can’t get hit.“
A little trash talk and a few taunts never hurt an NFL team during training camp. For the Giants, it’s no different. At the end of the day, these are competitive athletes fighting for a spot on the roster and their future in the league.
Some coaches may even tolerate punches being thrown, as it can be an indication of the competitive nature of practice. Still, Dart may have to tread lightly, especially since he isn’t on equal footing with his teammates on the defensive side of the ball. While Harbaugh expressed calm over Dart and the offense’s struggles, this may be something to keep an eye on.
Jaxson Dart #6 of the New York Giants.
Dart is untouchable in training camp
Because an injury to a quarterback can derail even the biggest contender’s season, defenses aren’t allowed to sack quarterbacks or hit them during practices. For Dart, that’s no different. Thus, Dart taunting his teammates wasn’t exactly a good look for the sophomore signal-caller.
As reported by Duggan, defensive players are against quarterbacks scrambling in practice because they can’t tackle them. The fact that Dart was aware of this advantage and still mocked Newsome after his touchdown could potentially snowball into a bigger dispute within the locker room.
Dart has had some run-ins with teammates before, including the politics controversy with Abdul Carter during the offseason. This may turn out to be a non-issue, just as it could become a problem in the future. Either way, it should come to the coaching staff’s attention—just in case.
