By all accounts, New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith lit it up during Saturday’s training camp practice, where fans were in attendance for the first time this summer.

He reportedly didn’t throw an incompletion, going 11 for 11 with three touchdowns in 11-on-11 and 4 for 4 with a touchdown in 7-on-7.

The thing is, Jets fans should not be surprised to see Smith dominate on the practice field.

Why fans shouldn’t be shocked by Smith’s dominance on Saturday

Smith has been one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the league since 2022. Over the past four seasons (2022-25), he has a completion percentage of 68.2%, ranking third-best in the league among quarterbacks with at least 1,000 pass attempts during that span.

Even in his down season with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025, he remained one of the leaders in completion percentage (67.4%).

Furthermore, he remained pretty solid last season when facing a clean pocket. It was when the pocket collapsed that he saw most of his struggles in Las Vegas.

The unfortunate reality for Smith was that an astonishing 40% of his dropbacks came under pressure last year, significantly hindering his ability to succeed.

For those reasons, it is not surprising to see training camp success from someone who has been in the league for over a decade, has excellent accuracy, and typically excels in a clean pocket.

Quarterbacks don’t have to think about the threat of being hit on the practice field. It eliminates the main reason for Smith’s in-game struggles with the Raiders last year: his response to pressure.

Smith won’t be able to answer his under-pressure questions in camp. Still, the good news is that he is unlikely to face as much pressure as he did last season.

The Jets’ offense ranked 15th-best in Pro Football Focus’ pass-blocking grade last season, a 13-spot jump from the Raiders’ No. 28 ranking. With multiple talented young starters, New York’s unit also has the potential to take another leap, which could put them in the top 10. That would be an incredible luxury for Smith.

In Smith, the Jets could have their first reliable pocket-passing starter in at least nine seasons. Save for a below-average season from Aaron Rodgers in 2024, the Jets have relied mostly on struggling young quarterbacks who could not operate the offense effectively from the pocket, making life more difficult for the other 10 players.

Smith, though, is already changing that, according to rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq.

“When I’m watching film on my own, I can tell the little subtle things that [Smith] does that are pro, best of the best mentality,” said Sadiq.

New York hasn’t had a signal-caller who ranked in the top 10 among qualified signal-callers in completion rate since Josh McCown in 2017 (67.3%, fourth). Prior to that, you have to go back to Brett Favre in 2008 (65.7%, fifth).

Training camp stats should always be taken with a grain of salt, but Smith’s accuracy is nothing new. If the Jets pass-protect in the regular season as well as they’re capable of, the same accuracy should show up on Sundays.