EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Washington Commanders made it a point in their team meetings heading into last week's game against the New York Giants that they treat rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart like a running back. and get as many hits on him as possible.
It doesn't bother Dart.
"Absolutely not," he said Wednesday. "I mean, [Georgia coach] Kirby Smart said the exact same thing every time he played against me. So did [former Alabama coach] Nick Saban. So did every coach that I played in college. This is nothing new. Just try to go out there and play smart. Be available for my team."
That was college. This is the NFL. Dart took 15 total hits (on runs and passes) in Sunday's 29-21 loss to the Commanders, tying his first career start against the Los Angeles Chargers for the most hits he took in a game during his rookie season.
The first-round pick also was forced to leave the game for two plays in the fourth quarter to be checked for a concussion. In the past 10 games that Dart has thrown at least one pass, dating back to the preseason, he has been examined for a concussion in five of them.
Dart was ultimately cleared and returned to Sunday's game. Afterward, he was surprised the hit where he was sandwiched between a pair of defensive tackles near the goal line warranted him leaving the game.
He's less surprised that teams are openly targeting him.
During a recent episode of "Hard Knocks," Commanders coach Dan Quinn was shown playing a clip from the Giants' game against the New England Patriots and telling his team, "The QB, he's a running back first. So this is a good hit by [Patriots LB Christian] Elliss on the sideline.
"[Dart] is not looking to go down and get into the slide. So we have to go out and hit him fellas. Alright?"
Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt later added: "The quarterback is a very competitive dual-threat guy. He will try to run the ball like a running back. He will try to run you over. He will try to stiff arm. He doesn't really run out of bounds. He doesn't slide a whole bunch. We can get the ball off him. The ball is life. It is air and we need it."
Turnovers have not been a problem for Dart throughout his rookie season. He came into Sunday's game with just three interceptions and one fumble lost in eight starts. Against the Commanders, he threw an interception and had a fumble recovered by Giants offensive lineman Jon Runyan Jr.
"They got a pick off me. I haven't been a turnover-heavy player my entire career," Dart said. "I think that is just one thing that coaches say in every single meeting."
Using his legs is a big part of his game. Always has been. Dart is third among all quarterbacks behind Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts with seven rushing touchdowns. But he's also being contacted more than 12 times per contest.
In a way, Dart seems to embrace the challenge. He knows teams are trying to get their hits on him when he's running the ball.
"It just gets me excited. Just as a competitor, you want to go out there and compete," Dart said. "Obviously, they're acknowledging respect in a way. So I appreciate that. You want to go out there and play really good for your team. I think any time there are teams that are game-planning and they give respect to a player, I think it's for a reason. We do the exact same thing when we go against defenses."
The Giants (2-12) and Dart have been adamant about not wanting to take away his competitiveness. They've said the same attitude that can sometimes get him into trouble is also part of why they liked him so much in the draft.
Interim head coach Mike Kafka was asked Wednesday if he has spoken to the league about the situation, which includes Dart being taken out of the game and cleared four times. He was also diagnosed with a concussion last month in a loss to the Chicago Bears that forced him to miss two games.
"I'm not going to get into the injury stuff and the refs, but that was their decision," Kafka said about Sunday's situation. "And, again, like I said on Monday, they've got to make a decision for the betterment of the players and if they feel like a guy has got dinged up, then they've got to make that call. I respect it. It's all for player safety and so I support it. I'm for it.
"Obviously, you don't want a guy to ever come out of the game, but if it's because it's for a reason that they think is someone's hurt, then we get them looked at and we get them back in the game. And that's just another opportunity for another guy on our team to step up and go make the play while he's out."
