The media were back at New York Giants OTAs on June 5, and Big Blue elected to move rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart up the pecking order to second-team QB for the session, according to SNY insider Connor Hughes.
Per Hughes, this was a significant shift from last week, when Dart spent the majority of his reps with and against the respective third-team units for offense and defense. The results, however, were not great.
“Jaxson Dart had a rough afternoon,” ESPN NYG beat reporter Jordan Raanan relayed after practice. Noting that the rookie “threw a couple INTs [and] had a couple passes batted down.”
Similarly, NorthJersey.com beat writer Art Stapleton acknowledged that it was an “up-and-down practice for the Giants QBs” in general. Stapleton was also a little more forgiving when it came to Dart.
“Tre Hawkins made a nice interception of Jaxson Dart along the sideline, but I put a star on the play because Dart gave rookie WR Da’Quan Felton a chance to make a play,” the reporter explained. “Hawkins was the one who did, outmaneuvering Felton.”
Of course, differences of perspective do come into play in situations like these. For example, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan described the same interception as “underthrown.”
Despite the humbling afternoon, Stapleton did compliment Dart, voicing that he “really likes the way Jaxson Dart layers throws [and] seems unafraid to trust his touch.”
For 11-on-11 drills only, Hughes tallied a 5-of-9 day for Dart, with two interceptions and a sack.
By comparison, starter Russell Wilson went 10-of-14 against the first-team defense, with one touchdown, one interception, and two sacks. And Jameis Winston was 4-of-8 against a combination of the second- and third-team defenses.
Is Jaxson Dart’s Failed Promotion at Giants OTAs Cause for Concern?
During his video round-up of the practice, Hughes said that Dart’s turnover-heavy day is “nothing to be fearful of” and “nothing to freak out about.” But fans never want to see their first-round quarterback struggle.
Jaxson Dart is already working with the second unit
@Connor_J_Hughes from Giants OTAs on Jaxson Dart, Darius Slayton, and a scuffle with Brian Burns
The harsh reality is, most do, and growing pains are just part of the business.
“It’s going to take time,” Hughes cautioned, regarding Dart. And that’s the clear takeaway here.
For the fans who want Dart to start Week 1 over Wilson, moments like these display why that may not be the best idea. This could change as Dart develops throughout the summer, but for now, Wilson still appears to be a step above the youngster at age 36.
With all that in mind, Hughes felt Dart’s slight promotion up the depth chart was a positive sign, despite the outcome.
Giants Expected to Mix & Match QB Rotation Throughout Camp
Duggan elaborated on the QB rotation during an article on the evening of June 5.
“It was a challenge just to track the constant shuffling on Thursday,” Duggan wrote, regarding the QB rotation at Giants OTAs. “In each of [head coach Brian] Daboll’s first three offseasons, there had been a clear pecking order among the quarterbacks, and one QB would handle all of the reps in a period with the first, second and third teams. But there was far more mixing and matching Thursday.”
“Veteran Russell Wilson exclusively worked with the first-team offense. Rookie Jaxson Dart took the majority of second-team reps, but he also got two reps with the starters and one rep with the third-stringers. Jameis Winston took the majority of third-team reps, while also getting one rep with the starters and three with the second-team offense. [And] Tommy DeVito got the fewest reps, and his mostly came with the third team,” the reporter relayed.
While Duggan agreed that Dart’s jump up to the second-team offense was “notable,” he also predicted that the Giants will be making constant “adjustments among the quarterback reps each practice.”
