Jaxson Dart’s concussion concerns are already alarming

It’s been another ugly season for the New York Giants, who fell to 2-8 on Sunday with a loss to the Bears. The silver lining is that this time things feel different, because for the first time in over a decade the franchise feels like there’s hope for the future. Now there’s a very real risk this new era of Giants football could end before it ever really begins, making the next few weeks as critical as any point in franchise history.

Dart was sidelined during the loss after taking a shot to the head and suffering a concussion. It’s the fourth time this season he’s been pulled and evaluated for a concussion in a very short period of time. The hits are piling up, the toll being put on Dart’s body is unprecedented for a rookie quarterback — and something has to change quickly to salvage not only the rookie’s career, but the future of the franchise.

One of the things fans have come to love about Dart is the frenetic, reckless abandon with how he plays football. It’s a feature for the rookie QB, not a bug — and putting his body on the line has been part of the ethos of this team along with fellow injured rookie Cam Skatterbo. Over the span of seven starts the amount of contact Dart has taken is unprecedented. Dart has been sacked 21 times, taken 15 hits in the pocket, and been tackled 47 times on rushing attempts. This equates to 11.8 incidents of contact per game, far too many for a quarterback to be taking.

Part of this is the offensive line, but a lot is simply Dart’s football DNA. This leaves the fundamental question in the hands of the Giants: Do they work to have their QB tone down his game for his longevity, potentially losing a little of that magic, or let him stay the course with the very understanding it might make Dart’s career a brief moment in time, rather than an era?

Coach Brian Daboll said a lot in very few words when asked about all the contact Dart had taken over the course of his seven starts, saying “I’d just say it’s unfortunate that he got hurt,” when asked about the injury. Dismissing the larger issue and reducing it to bad luck is shortsighted. Moreover, Daboll’s choice of words is very pointed in football circles: Using the term “got hurt” over “injured” is a tell. Everyone in the NFL plays hurt, and has a connotation of toughness to play through pain — while an injury is used to refer to something that’s physically impossible to play through.

Let’s be very clear on something: Suffering a concussion is a serious injury, not an occasion of being hurt. Being hit hard enough to be evaluated for a traumatic brain injury four times in a season, with one being confirmed is a bad sign.

Whatever success the Giants can reach will all be hollow if Dart’s future is ruined because of it. Tua Tagovailoa is a cautionary tale, not an aspiration. Seeing Cam Newton’s career get effectively ended in eight years due to a contact injury is the pinnacle of what teams should avoid.

For now, the Giants coaching staff appears to hope Dart is able to go back out there and keep doing what he’s been doing, but that’s proven to be unsustainable. This is not working. There needs to be an adult in the room to tell Daboll that risking Dart in a losing season is a fool’s errand, while simultaneously trying to find ways that can preserve the rookie’s magic under center, while also finding ways to take care of himself.

The future of the franchise is more important than Daboll’s job. Yes, Dart gives him the best chance to win — but that can’t come at the expense of a rookie’s career. Moving back to Russell Wilson to allow Dart to fully heal is the only way to protect Jaxson Dart from himself. Now we wait to see where the Giants’ priorities are.