Jaxson Dart’s knee injury could force the Giants to explore their market options at quarterback
The Giants have limited quarterback depth behind Jameis Winston, and one free agent’s playing style and coaching connections make him a natural fit.
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart may miss some time after suffering a knee injury on “Monday Night Football” against the Los Angeles Rams. The good news for the Giants is that the sprained MCL is not a season-ending injury, but the timeline for Dart’s return creates a question mark about quarterback depth in New York. With only Jameis Winston on the 53-man roster and Jake Haener on the practice squad, the Giants may need to explore external options to keep the position stable.
The natural first move
The most straightforward path is promoting Haener to the active roster or using one of the team’s three available game-day elevations on the player. That buys time without requiring an external transaction. If Dart’s absence stretches to two, three, or four weeks, though, the Giants would benefit from adding another arm to the mix.
The most logical candidate in that scenario is Brandon Allen, the veteran backup who spent training camp with the Giants. Allen knows the system, knows offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, and spent time with the same skill-position players. In a compressed window, that familiarity is impactful. He could acclimate quickly and function as a reliable emergency option.
Will Levis brings a higher ceiling to the equation
There is a more intriguing possibility on the market, though. That’s former Tennessee Titans starting quarterback Will Levis. He remains a free agent after being waived by Tennessee and is looking for another NFL opportunity. For the Giants, the fit works on two levels.
First, Levis has a somewhat similar playing style to Dart. He possesses a strong arm and enough mobility to execute some of the concepts the Giants want to run with their starter. He is certainly not as promising as Dart at this stage, but the theoretical overlap in skill set means the offense wouldn’t need to be completely overhauled if Levis were called upon. He would also be a potential long-term backup option.
Second, Giants quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Brian Callahan was Levis’s head coach with the Titans until last year. That prior relationship means Levis already has a baseline understanding of how Callahan communicates and coaches. Callahan could help Levis learn the terminology and adjust to what New York wants to run, shortening the typical onboarding curve for a midseason addition. Curiously enough, the Giants play the Titans on Sunday.
The Giants could sign Levis to the practice squad, promote or elevate Haener to the active roster, and roll with two quarterbacks behind Winston while Dart recovers. That gives New York flexibility without burning a valuable roster spot on a player who may only be needed for a few weeks.
The urgency of all of this depends on Dart’s recovery timeline. If the sprained MCL costs him only a week, an external addition may not be necessary at all. If the absence pushes toward that four-to-six-week range, though, the Giants would need to act.
