Most Concerning Development From Giants Minicamp

With a 50% turnover in the receiver room and a ticking clock to September, Jaxson Dart has been inconsistent when asked to throw the ball deep this spring.

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) throws the ball | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Giants want to have it all on offense–a power rushing game, an efficient red zone game, and a vertical offense that features a deep passing game.

While time will tell whether all three come to fruition, one thing that has raised concern during the mandatory minicamp (and even before) is the deep passing game.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart, preparing for his second NFL campaign, has continued to look indecisive on deep passes, at times even holding the ball too long, which has led to the defense winning the play.

New Pass Targets

Jun 3, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) catches the ball during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

To help ensure the Giants perform better in the deep passing game, they made over their receiver room, a step taken in part due to the ongoing recoveries of Malik Nabers (ACL) and Darius Slayton (sports hernia).

Odell Beckham Jr, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Braxton Berrios are the latest of the three receivers brought in, joining other newcomers like Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin, and rookie draft pick Malachi Fields, making for a 50% turnover rate of personnel in the Giants’ receiver room that Dart is still working toward developing chemistry with.

“I'm excited about the group, especially when we're healthy,” head coach John Harbaugh said.

“All those guys are practicing well. … When you step back and look at it, you get about five guys you feel really good about.”

Why Dart Has Struggled

Dart, as a rookie, struggled with the deep passing game. According to PFF, he completed just 32% of his pass attempts of 20+ air yards, the worst of the three quarterbacks (Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston) on the team.

Even having adjusted for passes that weren’t necessarily Dart’s fault, his adjusted percentage of 40% was still bringing up the rear among the three signal callers.  

A big part of the problem, and one that has spilled over to this spring, has been Dart’s indecisiveness, which has resulted in him holding the ball too long.

Last year, he averaged 3.08 seconds to throw, tying him for third (with New England’s Drake Maye) in that category.

And largely due to Dart’s holding onto the ball for too long at times, he was responsible for 39.1% of the 50 pressures he incurred last year, the percentage putting him first among 24 qualifying quarterbacks who had a minimum of 125 dropbacks.

Slow Progress

Jun 3, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) participates in drills during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Overall, Harbaugh believes Dart, who is adjusting to an offensive system that the quarterback himself said was very different from what he ran as a rookie, is doing well in that regard.  

“It's a work in progress all the time,” Harbaugh said. “It's still fairly early. But the clock is ticking.

“In team meetings, we started the team meeting off with September by Earth, Wind & Fire.  September is right around the corner. So that's what we're preparing for.”

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