The delicate balancing act Giants face as Jaxson Dart’s return nears

Jameis Winston isn’t going to put Jaxson Dart’s “dawg” on a leash. 

But Winston is imparting to his Giants rookie teammate a decade’s worth of lessons about the responsibility that falls on an NFL starting quarterback to see the bigger picture — even if that means sacrificing an extra yard or a viral highlight instead of sacrificing his body as a runner. 

“The perspective I have is, I want him to stay tough and stay physical, but there are ways to do that as the starting quarterback,” Winston said. “Cam Skattebo, when he runs somebody over, that’s a part of his job responsibility as the running back. When the team chooses you to be the starting quarterback, it’s required for you to be out there. If we can help motivate him to do anything that would limit him being out so he can be what he wants to be — the young superstar that he is — we are going to encourage him to do that.” 

As Dart works toward gaining medical clearance to return from a concussion — he remained in the same non-contact stage of the protocol at Thursday’s practice — in time to play Sunday against the Lions, the Giants face a great dilemma: How many, if any, designed runs should interim head coach Mike Kafka call for Dart knowing that he will have scrambles, too?