Respected NFL analyst calls Dart “polarizing”
For the New York Giants “the whole purpose of this season is to develop Jaxson Dart,” according to NFL analyst Greg Cosell.
Cosell made that comment on the ‘Inside the Birds’ podcast with Geoff Mosher and Adam Caplan.
The Giants, of course, traded up in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Dart 25th overall in the hopes that he could become their quarterback of the future.
Cosell said he sensed Dart “could be polarizing” when he studied him prior to the draft.
“Dart’s an interesting player. The mobility is a factor. You do have to factor that into the equation,” Cosell said. “Everybody always says ‘well he’s not special.’ Well, I don’t know what they mean when they say that. There’s only one Lamar Jackson. There’s only one Josh Allen, who is 6-5, 240. There’s only one [Patrick] Mahomes with his spatial awareness. So, you can’t just start saying ‘well it’s not special.’”
Cosell then summarized what he sees, and doesn’t see, when he watches Dart.
“He’s going to run for first downs. He may not be the fastest guy on the field, but that’s a part of his game that’s meaningful,” Cosell said. “I think he’s a good thrower. I don’t think he’s a great thrower. I thought that at times his deep throws lost a little energy on the back end. Sometimes he works hard to throw the ball.
“I think he needs in some ways what Russell Wilson needs. He needs a complete offense.”
Other points from Cosell
Here are a few of the other topics Cosell touched on.
He is a Jameis Winston believer …
“It appears that [Russell] Wilson will be the starter … I can’t get Jameis Winston out of my head. I know Winston played in Cleveland a little bit and he was very up and down and there was nothing about that that said ‘oh, Jameis is really good,’ but I just remember the last time he was a true starter with the New Orleans Saints and that’s when he tore up his knee and he was playing at a really high level.
“I know people point to the interceptions and maybe that’s who he is that he’ll always throw a couple, or more than a couple, where you just scratch your head but I always thought Jameis Winston could play quarterback in this league and at a reasonably high level.”
Cosell is fascinated by rookie running back Cam Skattebo …
“The more I watched this kid the more I like him,” Cosell said. “I think Skattebo has the physicality, the toughness to be a sort of feature type back and he gives you, he’s an attitude back. And, he’s a really good receiver.
“It’s going to be very interesting to see how this plays out with [Tyrone] Tracy, [Devin] Singletary] and Skattebo.
“They need a run game. If Russell Wilson is your starting quarterback you need a meaningful run game.”
“Average” offensive line play enough …
“If the O line can be just above average they’ve got some interesting players on the outside,” Cosell said. “We’ll see. It kind of really depends on the O line. Iguess we’ll see who the quarterback is but I think the run game is going to have to be a big factor here.”
Cosell is a Shane Bowen fan …
There are a lot of questions about whether or not defensive coordinator Shane Bowen can be flexible enough to maximize the talented group of players he has been handed. Cosell believes he can.
“They’ve got a really good d coordinator in Shane Bowen, who’s been around the league, does some really nice things with pressure schemes,” Cosell said. “It comes down to how quickly you can assimilate because Shane Bowen’s really good with pressure. Not pressure maybe the way you think of Rex Ryan and all that. He’s really good with simulated pressures rushing four, he’s really good at that. He’s really good at overloads where you might only rush four, maybe five.
“He’s just really good, and that requires a lot of detail.”
If you want to hear the complete remarks from Cosell, Mosher and Caplan click on the player below. I know it’s a Philadelphia Eagles podcast, but it’s a Giants-centric discussion with a lot of good insight.
