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One of the New York Giants’ biggest rivals made a surprising Jaxson Dart comparison.
It hasn’t taken long for Jaxson Dart to remind one of the New York Giants’ main rivals in the NFC East of a prominent NFL quarterback. A former first-overall draft pick who has carved out a solid pro career thanks to a “hard-nose” playing style.
The comparison comes from Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean, a pending free agent. Dean told Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, “I always say, if I play quarterback, I’d play like Baker Mayfield because Baker Mayfield is a hard-nose. He just don’t give a [Expletive] about none of that. I see that kind of mentality in Jaxson Dart. In the sense that he don’t care. He don’t care about what nobody else got to say. He gonna play the game the way he need to play it. But he going to continue to learn continue to get better and use his pieces.”
Super Bowl champion Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean @NakobeDean, an impressive young man headed to free agency, with an excellent breakdown of QB Jaxson Dart (“He don’t care. He got the keys”) and the Giants (“They did give us Saquon. But…”) on #TalkinBall from Radio Row! @YouTube
Comparing Dart to Mayfield makes sense on some levels. Particularly since the formr Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams QB has revived his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, behind a gutsy approach to the game based on doing whatever it takes to move the ball and score points.
Dart has the same aggressive desire to prove critics wrong, but his reckless streak has already led last year’s first-rounder into more physical jeopardy than the Giants want to see. It’s a problem new head coach John Harbaugh and his chosen offensive coordinator Matt Nagy must solve.
Jaxson Dart Needs to Listen to Rival’s Message
More than once, Dean told Leonard how Dart needs “to put in the work this offseason, get better.” It’s a message Dart must heed if he’s going to defy his lowly ranking among some analysts.
Dart will have to change the narrative he’s just going to be a defiantly reckless runner when things get tough in the pocket. Flipping the script will require the 22-year-old becoming more accurate when making on-platform throws.
He should have the right coaching in place to accelerate his development. At least on the surface, but Nagy’s record with quarterbacks, beyond working with Patrick Mahomes for the Kansas City Chiefs, has come in for criticism.
Harbaugh and his staff will try to refine Dart’s game, but the best immediate ploy for the Giants is to better support their young signal-caller. It will help to build a dominant defense, something Dean could actually help the Giants achieve.
Nakobe Dean an Intriguing Free Agent Fit for Giants
Dean’s experience playing in the Eagles’ version of a hybrid 3-4 defense makes him an intriguing fit for the Giants ahead of 2025 NFL free agency. Big Blue will still run a similar system after Harbs hired former Ravens assistant Dennard Wilson as defensive coordinator.
Wilson could use a natural sideline-to-sideline inside linebacker next to veteran Bobby Okereke. Dean qualifies as a 25-year-old with true range and a knack for getting downhill in a hurry in blitz situations.
Those qualities mean Dean is likely to have his share of suitors on the veteran market. He’s already tipped to join Mayfield’s Bucs, while Dean has also indicated a willingness to join a prominent contender in the AFC.
The Giants should muscle their way to the front of the queue. Particularly when the Eagles may resist retaining Dean because of a lengthy injury history that includes “a Lisfranc foot injury, and the patellar tendon,” per John McMullen of Eagles on SI.
McMullen also pointed out how the Eagles are well-stocked at the position, thanks to Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell. The Giants can move to add some more athleticism to their own linebacker corps and make themselves a defense-led team for the first time in an age.
This kind of team would give Dart the platform he’ll need to develop at his own pace.
James Dudko covers the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL and world soccer since 2011, with bylines at FanSided, Prime Time Sports Talk and Bleacher Report before joining Heavy in 2021. More about James Dudko
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