Jaxson Dart Ranked 24th in New NFL QB Rankings — Can Matt Nagy Help Change That?

The New York Giants are counting on quarterback Jaxson Dart to take a significant leap forward in his second season. Still, opinions outside of the team’s headquarters seem varied as to whether he will indeed flourish in the new offensive system implemented by coordinator Matt Nagy, or if he will continue to be “an extremely frustrating watch.”

Mike Sando of The Athletic, who polls GMs, coaches, scouts, and other league personnel every year for their thoughts on the top signal callers, unveiled his 2026 preseason quarterback rankings.

Based on the voting, Dart ranked 24th overall, just ahead of fellow 2025 draftees Cam Ward and Tyler Shough. That ranking put Dart in the third tier of quarterbacks, defined as a “legit starter but needs running game or defense to win.”

Dart, who ranked one spot behind Kyler Murray, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals, received his fair share of criticism regarding his reckless running style and whether new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy can help him take his game to the next level.

Dart Must Find Consistency

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dart was solid as a rookie, but his play lacked consistency. While he ranked 19th in EPA per play, he was 20th or lower in success rate, sack rate, and completion percentage.

He struggled to get the ball out quickly, recording an average time to throw of 3.08 seconds, which was the seventh-highest in the league among QBs with at least 100 dropbacks.

He wasn't set up for success in Brian Daboll's system, though. The Giants had the league's lowest pre-snap motion rate last season at just 38.7%. The lack of pre-snap movement put more on Dart's plate after the snap, leading to delayed processing.

Nagy's scheme is built to give Dart the quick, easy answers he needs to overcome his inconsistency.

The former Kansas City Chiefs OC relies heavily on run-pass options (RPOs), giving his quarterback instant, two-way decisions. The Chiefs have led the NFL in RPO attempts in each of the last two seasons, though to be fair, it's unclear how much of what the Chiefs ran was purely Nagy's choice versus that of head coach Andy Reid's.

New York's offense will also implement more under-center and play-action looks, influenced by run game coordinator and senior offensive assistant Greg Roman.

Speaking on under-center formations at training camp, Dart admitted, "It’s been something that we’ve really pushed and really got a ton of reps at this offseason."

Play-action passes force a delay in the defense's ability to diagnose plays, creating space for receivers and quarterbacks to take advantage of. Those looks will give Dart easy answers more often, taking away some of his mental load.

The new scheme will take some time to adjust to, as Dart has already experienced in training camp. When he becomes fully accustomed to Nagy's system, the second-year quarterback will be set up to thrive.

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