3 Things That Will Define Jaxson Dart's Second Season

As Dart and the rest of the returning Giants' offensive players quickly found out this past spring, the system implemented by offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has several notable structural differences.

One of those differences calls for Dart to work under center much more than he did last year, the quarterback managing to go 17-of-29 on those snaps.

There are numerous reasons for the coaching staff to want Dart to develop a comfort level with working under center, including the ability to run play-action fakes, develop rhythm-based dropbacks, and support a power-based run game through deeper handoffs.

During the spring, Dart looked like a quarterback who was still feeling his way around this change. By the end of summer, it’s hoped that he will look as though he’s primarily worked under center his entire football playing career.  

Dart Must Balance Aggressiveness With Smart Decision-Making 

He’d better, because the Giants are a different team without him on the field. Dart came into the NFL with a swagger and a chip on his shoulder, almost taking delight in daring opposing defensive players to stop him.

They came close, sending Dart to the medical tent five times in his first ten starts. Ultimately, Dart did get knocked out of a game due to a concussion, though that came when he tried to recover a loose ball, and his head ended up hitting the ground hard enough for him to be removed.

Still, that incident resulted in the Giants significantly cutting back on Dart’s designed runs once he returned from his concussion in Week 13 last year. In his first ten games of the season, Dart averaged 3.2 designed runs per game; in his last five, that average dropped to 1.8 designed runs per game.

After having conversations with his coaches regarding some of the unnecessary risks he took last year, the signal caller has vowed to find that competitive balance.

Saying it is one thing, however. Doing it is quite another. But Dart believes he can pull it off.

“Obviously, I understand the most important thing is to be out there,” he said back in May. “So, you just grow and learn from things. And I think I'm going to do a good job at it this year for sure.

“My competitiveness isn't going to change at all. I think it just goes into situations. Just what times it's worth it and what times it's not. And just making those mature decisions.”

Dart's Deep Ball Accuracy Needs to Improve 

Last year, Dart completed 31.1% of his deep-pass attempts of 20+ air yards, recording just two touchdowns on such attempts, which ranked 32nd among 36 qualifying quarterbacks who attempted at least 20 deep passes.

Of Dart’s 50 such deep attempts, 11 were due to being inaccurate. So to help him with this issue, the Giants added taller receiving targets such as tight end Isaiah Likely and receiver Malachi Fields, both 6-foot-4 and both boasting wide catch radii.

There is something to be said about having taller receivers for deep passing, as far as Dart is concerned.

According to the Locked On Giants podcast, Dart, on passes of 20+ air yards, completed 25% of his pass attempts (8-of-32) to receiving targets between 67 (5-foot-8) and 73 inches (6-foot), 46% (6-of-13) to receiving targets 74 inches (6-foot-1) and taller. In fact, the taller the receiving target, the higher Dart’s completion percentage.  

That said, height alone isn’t necessarily a cure for all that ails Dart’s deep passing game. He will need to develop a comfort level for any tweaks made to his throwing mechanics, and there remains that all-important development of timing that will contribute to success as well.