Why Jaxson Dart's Inconsistency in Giants Minicamp Shouldn't Be Cause for Panic

The observations that New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart has struggled with the deep ball and working under center have some people worried that Dart, fresh off a successful rookie season, might be headed for a sophomore slump.

To recap, Dart and his teammates are learning a completely new offensive system, one which varies from the simplified one he ran last year under Brian Daboll, a system primarily run out of the shotgun rather than a mix that included working under center.

The purpose of that was to help the rookie acclimate to the game's pace, which he did over his 12 starts.

So what has changed with Matt Nagy as the new offensive coordinator?

“Definitely a lot more of the under-center action game, for sure,” Dart said last month. “I just think that the overall command. There are a lot of kills and alerts that go into really every play.

“We're able to play fast, but at the same time there's a lot that's on the quarterback's shoulders.”

A look back at Year 1

jaxson dart — New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) throws the ball away to avoid a sack during a week 9 game between New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As a rookie, Dart had 411 dropbacks, completing 216 out of 339 pass attempts, or 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions for a 91.7 passer rating.

Per data compiled from PFF and NFL+, he worked out of the shotgun on 310 of his 339 pass attempts, completing 199 passes (64.2%) for 2,063 yards, 13 touchdowns, and five interceptions.

In terms of play-action, Dart went 43-of-75 for 458 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

And when it came to the deep ball (20+ air yards), Dart was 14-of-45 (31.1%) for 435 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

How the Giants have addressed the growing pains

All of these stats–working under center, incorporating more play-action, and the deep ball–have been points of emphasis for the former Ole Miss signal-caller. But there are a few things that the Giants did this spring–and likely will continue doing–to ensure Dart’s transition is smooth.

The first thing is that they gave him maximum reps in each practice. Whereas in the past coaches might give quarterbacks a series of five reps each so everyone got a chance, Dart took the bulk of the reps in the spring to build a comfort level working under center and adjust his footwork.

The team also went out and got him taller receiving targets with better catch radii, something that should help with the deep-ball struggles.

Of those 20+ air yard attempts Dart had last season, 11 of the incompletions were a result of a lack of accuracy. Giving him receivers with a wider catch radius capable of hauling in a pass, so long as the ball is in their area code, will help with that.

So how has it gone?

To the casual observer, it was a mixed bag from Dart in the spring, but to quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan, there was progress made.

“He's got a skill set that's unique to him, and he's done a lot of really nice things so far early in his career,” Callahan said.

“His ability to improve on things, I think, is important. And we had some very direct conversations about what those things are and a very specific plan for the spring.

“He did a really nice job with it. And I think he's gotten better over the course of the spring. I'm looking forward to getting to training camp.”

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