Evan Barnes: Jaxson Dart's progress with Giants depends on a healthy Malik Nabers
Jaxson Dart looked leaner but stronger at the podium Thursday. But something besides weight was missing when he spoke after the Giants’ third day of organized team activities.
Dart talked about building a good rapport with receivers Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin III and tight end Isaiah Likely. All three were free agents added to give Dart more weapons in his second season, and first full one as the starting quarterback.
“That’s really been day-to-day communication,” Dart said. ”They’re just dudes who are just bought into the grind and into what we’re doing here.”
There was one receiver not included in that description. A player Dart wasn’t asked about and whose absence stood out inside the Giants’ indoor practice facility.
Malik Nabers. If there’s any receiver Dart needs chemistry with, it’s Nabers and it’s unlikely that will happen in the near future.
Dart didn’t even get a complete half with Nabers last season in Week 4. Three targets, two receptions for 20 yards and one major injury in the second quarter when Nabers tore his ACL and meniscus in his right knee.
It didn’t just end Nabers’ season, it stunted Dart’s growth because he didn't have his No. 1 target.
Coach John Harbaugh said Nabers is “in the slog of it, the grind of it” with his rehab. He’s around the team and in meetings yet he’s still in the middle of working his way back.
“He’s fighting through it and he’s here every day working hard at it. Just impossible to predict,” Harbaugh said Thursday. “The goal is to start the season and get out there sometime in training camp. That’d be the goal and we’ll see what happens.”
There’s no rush to get Nabers back now. The season opener is under four months away on Sept. 13. But each practice or throwing session means Dart is developing chemistry with targets not named Nabers.
How good the Giants can be next season relies on that pairing. Nabers was voted on the NFL’s Top 100 players list after his exceptional rookie season. Without him? The Giants’ passing attack wasn’t dynamic despite Wan’Dale Robinson’s 1,000-yard season
Great teams don’t just have great players. They have great players connected through synergy, not just shared elite traits. It’s partnership based on instinct built through thousands of reps in practice, not just games.
Dart and Nabers need that and just won’t get it. Of course, that’s not stopping Dart from finding it elsewhere.
He gathered the receivers in California to work out in April. Mooney spent two seasons with offensive coordinator Matt Nagy on the Bears so he was able to help acclimate Dart on what to expect.
“Just a lot of routes on air,” Mooney said. “I was familiar with the offense so, talking about some things that he’s got from Nagy early on and some things I was remembering at the time to just try to speed up the process.”
Dart also praised the workouts. Whether it’s learning his receivers’ timing or lining up his footwork, he appreciated the early lessons that will grow through OTAs and minicamp.
But that education is missing a key component. Dart needs that same timing with Nabers. They barely got it last offseason because Nabers mostly doing it with Russell Wilson. Dart didn’t throw much to Nabers until those practices leading to his season debut.
A healthy Nabers elevates this offense and he can turn Dart from merely a good quarterback to a great one.
“When he’s 100%, obviously he’s a game changer,” left tackle Andrew Thomas said.
Consider how Drake Maye and Caleb Williams blossomed in their second seasons last year. Both were aided by great receivers. That’s what Dart is missing at the moment and it puts a lower ceiling on the hype Harbaugh’s brought with his arrival.
The fact that Mooney, Austin, Likely and rookie Malachi Fields are getting plenty of reps with Dart this spring will pay off later. It just hurts that Dart can’t do that with Nabers until August or perhaps longer.
So yes, it’s a good thing Dart looks leaner and said he’s the most mobile he’s been in his life. It’ll just be a lot better if he and Nabers look good together. Their promising connection remains an unknown, yet key variable to decide if the Giants and Dart can take a leap next season.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
