Giants' Jaxson Dart Feels "In Command" Ahead of Week 1 Despite Limited Preseason Snaps

By the time the New York Giants next hit the field for a live game, it will have been almost a full month since some of the starters played.

That includes second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart, who has been knee-deep in learning a brand new offense this summer, requiring him to work more under center.

But ask Dart if he’s worried about his lack of live reps in games, and he’ll shrug it off and point to his practice reps against his teammates as just as good a litmus test of where he’s at as any.

“Every day I'm going against (Defensive Coordinator) Dennard's (Wilson) defense, the great players that we have, the scheme that's in place, and those are some of the best reps that I'm going to get going into Week 1,” Dart said.

“I've been very grateful for those because I would say early on in camp there were a lot of things that maybe caught me by surprise, and against a defense that I haven't really had a ton of experience playing against.

“But I think it's just made myself and this team a lot better, and I don't take those reps for granted. So, I feel like those are the best reps I could get every day.”

Why Harbaugh Held Him Back

Head coach John Harbaugh's decision not to play Dart came down to a mix of factors — injury risk, plus confidence that the quarterback's practice reps and work ethic had him ready for the regular-season opener.

He further explained that the plan was to expose Dart to the defense’s complexities to help him keep his mental game sharp while also protecting him from taking a hit like the one that occurred in the preseason opener, which sent the quarterback to the blue medical tent.

A Steep Learning Curve

Aug 22, 2026; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) warms up prior to a preseason game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dart admitted back in the spring that there was a lot for him to learn in this offense. In addition to working under center more, the system is sharply different from the ones he ran at Ole Miss and in his first year with the Giants.

He experienced some growing pains while trying to apply what he was learning through classroom sessions and film study to actually executing the concepts on the field.

But now, after a full spring and summer of running the system, he feels he’s light years ahead of where he was when he first started.

“I feel so much better. I feel in command. I feel confident,” he said. “In this offense, there's a lot that's put on the quarterback's plate, but it's exactly how I want it. It's exactly how I viewed this coming together.

“And we still have a lot of room to improve and grow as a unit, but I'm definitely feeling way better every day, continuing to learn, continuing to grow as a player, and just the comfort in the offense, seeing the defense and putting ourselves in great situations.”

Dart Has Made Steady Progress

His growth hasn’t gone unnoticed by Harbaugh, who is counting on the former Ole Miss signal caller to help get the Giants off to a fast start this season.

“I think he's come a long way. I think he looks really comfortable in what we're doing right now, but the next test will be game time, and we'll see how he does,” Harbaugh said.

“That'll just be the beginning too. The first game is not the end of the story. The first game is the beginning of the story.”

For Dart and the Giants, Week 1 will be the first real answer.

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