Jaxson Dart is set to make his first Week 1 start of his NFL career on Sunday against the Cowboys, a sharp early test for a Giants quarterback the New York Giants already see as central to their future. The start arrives with the team entering the 2026 season with optimism, and with Dart carrying 12 NFL starts into a game that will help define how quickly that belief turns into proof.
That is why Dart is drawing attention now. He is not just stepping into a new opening-week assignment; he is being measured as the Giants QB who could shape what comes next, and the early read from around the league has been mixed in a way that makes Sunday matter more. Chris Simms of NBC Sports placed Dart at No. 22 in his annual quarterback rankings, one spot ahead of Cam Ward and one behind Jalen Hurts, a slot that reflects respect without certainty.
Simms praised what he sees on film. He said Dart has unreal feel and instincts, that his ability to extend plays and play backyard football is where he is special, and that he is a pretty good decision-maker. He also said Dart has a real good arm and hits the throws that are there to be made. But Simms stopped short of calling that arm elite, and he said he is not sure Dart can make the special throws that separate the sport’s top quarterbacks.
That is where the optimism and the doubt meet. John Harbaugh was openly bullish, saying Dart is even more talented than he thought, that he has great pocket presence, understands the pocket and feels it, and can see downfield before getting out to move and make plays. Harbaugh added that Dart has patience and poise, that he is learning, and that the coaches are doing a great job with him every day. His message was clear: the tools are there, but refinement still matters, and the goal is to let the quarterback grow without stripping away what makes him dangerous.
Harbaugh put that idea in quarterback language that fits the moment. He said you do not want to take away what a player naturally brings, and pointed to the way teams have trusted passers such as Ben Roethlisberger to play their game when the moment calls for it. For Dart, that means Sunday is not only a debut on a calendar. It is the first real chance to show whether the Giants QB can move from promising runner and improvisor to the kind of thrower who can carry a future built around him.
What happens against the Cowboys will not settle that question, but it will narrow it. If Dart shows the pocket feel, patience and downfield command that Harbaugh sees, while also answering the concerns about the higher-end throws Simms is still waiting to see, the Giants will have a clearer case for treating him as their long-term answer. If he does not, the conversation around his ceiling will get louder fast, because the next step is no longer about whether he belongs in the lineup. It is about whether he can become the quarterback the Giants are betting on.
