Harbaugh Dodges Jaxson Dart Question, Confirms Odell Beckham Jr. Will Play Saturday
John Harbaugh isn’t tipping his hand on Jaxson Dart. He is on Odell Beckham Jr.
Asked this week whether his second-year quarterback will play in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium, the first-year Giants head coach kept it vague. “That’s a good question,” Harbaugh said, according to SI’s Giants team site. “I’m gonna have to dodge. I’ll bob and weave. I’ll let you know later.”
What he didn’t dodge: Beckham’s status. The 33-year-old wide receiver, who signed with the Giants this offseason, will play in the team’s preseason opener, Harbaugh confirmed, per SI.
Why Dart’s Status Is Still Up in the Air
This is a decision most first-year coaches face every August. Preseason snaps carry real injury risk for a young starter the franchise is building around, and Harbaugh made clear the Giants weren’t ready to announce their plan with a few days still on the clock before kickoff.
Dart’s camp hasn’t been without bumps. He’s adjusting to a new scheme under offensive coordinator Matt Nagy that requires him to operate more from under center, a shift from the shotgun-heavy looks he ran as a rookie. He also drew a coaching rebuke earlier in camp after flipping the ball at a defender’s helmet following a red-zone touchdown, a moment Harbaugh treated like a live penalty by having the offense replay the snap.
Still, there have been signs of progress. Dart connected with running back Devin Singletary on a wheel route and hit rookie receiver Malachi Fields in 7-on-7 work during a recent padded practice, SI reported.
Dart’s Rookie Season Set the Bar High
The 23-year-old former Ole Miss standout gave Giants fans plenty to like as a rookie, even as the team stumbled to a 4-13 finish. Dart took over as the starter in Week 4 and started 12 of his 14 appearances.
| Category | 2025 Rookie Total |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2,272 |
| Completion percentage | 63.7% |
| Passing touchdowns | 15 |
| Interceptions | 5 |
| Passer rating | 91.7 |
| Rushing yards | 487 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 9 |
Those numbers, first reported in detail by outlets covering his Week 18 finale against Dallas, made him one of the more productive rookie dual-threat quarterbacks in recent memory. His nine rushing touchdowns set a Giants franchise record for a quarterback in a single season.
Weapons Are Trending in the Right Direction
Whenever Dart does take the field this season, he’ll have more to work with than he did for most of his rookie year. Wide receiver Malik Nabers, who tore his ACL early in 2025, has been progressing through camp, and running back Cam Skattebo is also working his way back. Add Beckham and tight end Isaiah Likely, who followed Harbaugh from Baltimore, and the skill-position group looks considerably deeper than the injury-riddled unit Dart leaned on last fall.
None of that resolves the more immediate question hanging over MetLife Stadium this weekend: how much, if any, of Saturday’s action Dart will actually see. Harbaugh’s answer, for now, is that fans will have to wait for it.
