Jaxson Dart is expected to miss most or all of the 2026 season with a knee injury, days after Jayden Daniels suffered his second elbow dislocation in less than a year.
Those losses hit differently from past veteran quarterback injuries because both passers were still early in development, both teams had new offensive coordinators, and both franchises now risk collapsing into the top of the 2027 draft.
ESPN's draft simulator gives the Giants the third-highest projection for the No. 1 pick, while both New York and Washington have better than a 20% chance of landing in the top five.
A top-five finish could force painful decisions: draft another quarterback, trade the pick for a haul, or recommit to injury-hit young starters who would have only 14 starts in two seasons for Dart and 26 in three for Daniels if they miss the rest of 2026.
The fallout could spread beyond those teams, with the Jets, Browns, Dolphins and Cardinals also seen as possible quarterback shoppers near the top of the 2027 draft.