It's human nature to root for a rival's demise. But for that demise to come as a result of a catastrophic injury is never on a fan's agenda. That's exactly how Cowboys fans are feeling in light of the knee injury Jaxson Dart suffered in the Giants loss to the Rams on Monday Night Football.
Initially, it looked like Dart avoided disaster. The Giants were encouraged by the X-rays and initial reporting suggested a two-month recovery at most.
After more testing, though, it was determined that Dart, even though his ACL is intact, needs surgery to repair his MCL, PCL, and meniscus, which will cost him the rest of the season. Just awful news for a young QB who really looked like he leveled up in Year 2.
The Giants will likely add another quarterback to their active roster, and Joe Milton stands out as an intriguing option. New York can poach him directly from the Cowboys' practice squad, making this a situation worth monitoring as the Giants search for another arm.
Cowboys could lose Joe Milton to the Giants in light of Jaxson Dart's injury
Jameis Winston is the only quarterback on the Giants' 53-man roster. They have Jake Haener, a fourth-round pick by the Saints in 2024, on the practice squad.
Haener appeared in eight games as a rookie and did not impress, completing 46.2 percent of his passes for 228 yards (5.8 yards per attempt), one touchdown, and one interception. He finished with a 12.8 QBR.
You have to think John Harbaugh wants no part of Haener seeing the field. And right now, that's a Jameis Winston injury away from happening.
The Giants could seek a trade for a third-stringer who's currently on an active roster. Gardner Minshew (Cardinals) and J.J. McCarthy (Vikings) are two possibilities in that regard.
Even if Harbaugh isn't comfortable with where Milton is in his development, he's still a better option than Haener and, frankly, most of the quarterbacks available to New York. And he might be a more natural fit than Winston in an offense run by Greg Roman and Matt Nagy.
Joe Milton is a better fit for the Giants' scheme than Jameis Winston
Winston is a pure pocket passer with very limited mobility. Milton would prefer to pick defenses apart with his arm, but he's very much a dual-threat quarterback.
His size, athleticism, and cannon arm would give Roman and Nagy more ways to stress a defense, whether that's incorporating designed quarterback runs, moving the pocket, or attacking downfield off play-action.
Milton obviously wouldn't give the Giants the same polish or experience as Winston, but his physical tools would allow the offense to retain some of the dimensions it had with Dart under center.
And, for the record, nobody's saying Milton would supplant Winston. The Giants are paying the former No. 1 overall pick a lot of money. He's firmly entrenched as the de facto starter.
But as far as emergency backup options go, New York could do a lot worse than Milton. He looked noticeably more polished and composed under center this summer than he did a year ago, and his physical tools give him considerably more upside than your typical QB3.
Maybe nothing comes to pass, but the Cowboys would be wise to prepare for the possibility of losing Milton.
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