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Full Breakdown

Giants Turn to Jameis Winston After Jaxson Dart’s Season-Ending Knee Surgery

By Drooid · Sep 28, 2026, 2:39 PM UTC · How we work

Core Event

Jaxson Dart underwent knee surgery on Friday to repair a meniscus and MCL, ending his regular-season availability.

Sports Illustrated

Veteran quarterback Jameis Winston started the following Sunday against the Tennessee Titans and led New York to a 12-7 win at MetLife Stadium.

Sports Illustrated

Head coach John Harbaugh said the team’s plans remain unchanged and Winston will stay the starter.

Background & Context

Dart was the Giants’ second-year starter, completing 23-of-29 for 230 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1 before a left-knee injury in Week 2.

The Giants installed roughly 300 offensive plays this offseason, designing the system to accommodate “multiple styles of offense.”

Data & Statistics

Winston’s Week 2 outing: 11-of-27 for 111 yards, one interception in a 28-6 loss to the Rams.

Winston’s Week 3 performance vs. the Titans: 14-of-22 for 118 yards and 14 rushing yards in a 12-7 victory.

Running back Cam Skattebo accounted for 67 % of the team’s carries in the first two weeks and recorded eight receptions in the opener.

Official Statements & Responses

Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy explained the offense’s flexibility: “Probably the biggest thing is — one of the things with this offense when we first got started is we wanted to be able to be prepared to have multiple styles of offense.”

Harbaugh described the tactical shift as “more of a lane change” rather than a complete redesign.

Conflicting Reports & Gaps

Recovery timeline: Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Petrosini described a “best-case scenario” of three months but warned that additional ligament repair could extend rehab to four-to-six months.

Sports Illustrated

Quarterback acquisition strategy: Insider Tom Pelissero reported that GM Joe Schoen is actively pursuing trade options, while ESPN noted that signing free-agent Garoppolo would avoid sacrificing draft picks.

Verbatim Quotes

“Probably the biggest thing is -- one of the things with this offense when we first got started is we wanted to be able to be prepared to have multiple styles of offense,” — Matt Nagy

“All those plays are plays that we have, that we've been practicing and running, it's just kind of more like a shift maybe over a little bit as opposed to ... maybe a lane change as opposed to changing direction or anything like that,” — John Harbaugh

“We did have a lot more Jaxson-driven-type quarterback runs,” — Jon Runyan

“I don't look at it as I need to do more,” — Cam Skattebo

“I mean, he believes in his receivers to go make the plays for him. And we plan out to do that,” — Malik Nabers

What’s Next

The Giants host the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4, providing another early test for Winston and the revised offensive scheme.

Dart’s rehabilitation continues; the team has not ruled out a playoff-time return if the Giants qualify.