New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is still finding his footing at his first training camp under new head coach John Harbaugh, and Tuesday’s practice didn’t do him any favors. Dart has clearly won Harbaugh over off the field — Dart gave the new coach a glowing endorsement earlier this month, praising how Harbaugh carries himself. On the field, though, the second-year quarterback is still working through some rough patches as he adjusts to a new offensive system.
According to ClutchPoints, Dart didn’t get a flattering review after Day 6 of camp on Tuesday. Dan Duggan of The Athletic didn’t sugarcoat it.
“Another practice where Jaxson Dart didn’t look particularly sharp,” Duggan wrote, per ClutchPoints.
The details back that up. Dart threaded a red-zone touchdown pass to tight end Isaiah Likely, but it slipped right through the hands of slot cornerback Dru Phillips. His scrambling in a late red-zone situation also came up short. Dart’s legs are still one of his best weapons — he had open grass to work with — but defenders’ complaints about quarterback runs they can’t finish with a hit carry some weight, too.
A Rough Stretch Under a New System
Tuesday wasn’t an isolated bad day. On Monday, Harbaugh called out Dart for taunting cornerback Greg Newsome while running in for a touchdown, a moment that drew a pointed reaction from the head coach. It’s the kind of thing a college star can get away with. In Harbaugh’s building, it isn’t going to fly.
Dart is also carrying a heavier workload in camp than he ever did at Ole Miss or during his rookie season, when the Giants eased him into the lineup behind Russell Wilson before he took over full-time in Week 4. Harbaugh has brought real structure and competitiveness to how the offense installs its playbook — a sharp turn from the more relaxed, college-style approach Dart operated under a year ago. Learning a pro-style system under new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, with more reps from under center than he ever took in college, was always going to come with some bumps.
The Giants hired Harbaugh in January after his 18-season run with the Baltimore Ravens came to an end. He walked into a rebuild, and Dart is the centerpiece of it.
What Dart Showed as a Rookie
None of this erases what Dart did in 2025. He played in 14 games, making 12 starts after taking over for Wilson, and finished with 2,272 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions for a 91.7 passer rating. He added 487 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns, giving him 24 total touchdowns on the season.
| Category | 2025 Rookie Stats |
|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 2,272 |
| Passing TDs | 15 |
| Interceptions | 5 |
| Passer Rating | 91.7 |
| Rushing Yards | 487 |
| Rushing TDs | 9 |
That production was good enough for fourth place in AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, where Dart picked up one first-place vote and 88 total points behind Carolina’s Tetairoa McMillan. Dart didn’t hide his frustration with where he landed, telling the Associated Press he felt “disrespected” by the result given his numbers and what he meant to a 4-13 team that had little else going for it.
That chip on his shoulder seems to be part of what’s driving him through a demanding camp. Harbaugh isn’t handing him anything, and Dart isn’t asking for a pass, either.
