New York Giants Steve Serby Isaiah Likely is the Giants’ new ‘chess piece’ — with plans on raising Jaxson Dart’s game By Steve Serby Published Aug. 4, 2026, 7:49 p.m. ET Giants' Isaiah Likely (9), quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) and tight end Theo Johnson (84) walk on the field during training camp. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Jaxson Dart raced alone around left end for a touchdown and, to the dismay of John Harbaugh, threw the ball at Greg Newsome II, drawing a 15-yard taunting penalty. Isaiah Likely quickly got between Dart and Newsome.
“That’s the type of dawg you want at quarterback,” Likely said. “And obviously, Newsome, I’ve been playing [against] him for quite a while. I know he’s a dawg himself, so he’s not going to back down on nobody.”
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Of course, Harbaugh didn’t bring Likely with him from Baltimore to be a peacemaker. He brought him to the Giants to be Jaxson Dart’s 6-foot-4, 245-pound quarterback-friendly weapon at tight end.
“I can line up outside, in the slot, in-line, in the backfield, I’ve done it all,” Likely said. “I’ve called myself a chess piece before in the past, and I feel like I’ve lived up to the name.”
