Tommy DeVito building case to remain Giants’ quarterback for final six games
Tommy DeVito has gone from being little more than a fun story about an undrafted local kid to a player who is now legitimately competing to be the Giants’ starting quarterback for the final six games of the season.
Tyrod Taylor is eligible to come off of injured reserve after next Sunday’s home game against the New England Patriots. It’s unknown if Taylor’s rib cage will be healed enough to do so, but there’s also no guarantee now that the Giants go back to the 13th-year veteran under center.
Life changes fast in the NFL. DeVito provided another example when he led New York to a 31-19 win Sunday at the Washington Commanders by becoming the first Giants quarterback to pass for three touchdowns since 2019. His five touchdown passes through two starts are the most in franchise history.
“I think he operates well in the pocket, he’s got quick feet, he throws with anticipation and timing and he’s instinctive,” head coach Brian Daboll said Monday. “He does a good job of seeing defenders and feeling defenses. I don’t think he’s an overprocessor, an overthinker. He can make a variety of the throws.”
In terms of DeVito’s instincts, Daboll pointed to a third-and-13 from Washington’s 48 with 7:05 left in the first quarter where the rookie pump-faked to move the defense before delivering a 24-yard pass to a wide-open Darius Slayton over the middle. Two plays later, he threw another 24-yard pass to Saquon Barkley in the corner of the end zone for the Giants’ first touchdown.
“I’m happy for him. He comes in with the right mentality. He’s a confident dude from Jersey,” Barkley said postgame. “I definitely think he’s proving people wrong. We know what he is capable of doing. It’s the NFL, the National Football League. You don’t get here by accident.”
DeVito completed 18 of 26 passes for 246 yards including 7-for-8 with 113 yards, two touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating on third down. And perhaps most important for a young player still adjusting to the speed of the NFL, he had zero turnovers.
“When things are going right, the game is going right and it’s a lot of fun, because it feels like you’re just enjoying playing the game of football like when you were a kid,” DeVito said postgame. “Great play calls by (offensive coordinator Mike Kafka). Great execution by everybody.”
Daboll explained that he describes DeVito as having “quiet feet” because he doesn’t move around more than he needs to and is usually where he needs to be in the pocket.
The Don Bosco product’s biggest area of development seems to be his pocket presence. The Commanders sacked DeVito nine times, and Pro Football Focus attributed only three of them to DeVito’s protection up front.
But lacking a good enough internal clock against live NFL pass rushes at this point is only natural for a rookie who wasn’t even expected to take a snap after the preseason. The goal was for DeVito to develop enough in practice to become Daniel Jones’ backup next year. That was why the Giants signed him out of Illinois shortly after the NFL Draft ended.
“He was a good young player to try to work with and develop and hopefully that we spend a year with him and he gets a little bit better so that maybe he can have something the following year, but things have sped up for him,” Daboll said. “There’s plenty of things that he knows he needs to work on, and we need to work on with him that we can help him, but he’s got the right mindset, the right approach. He’s done a good job since he’s been here.”
DeVito was also sacked five times in his first start the week before against Dallas. But he’s come a long way since his first regular-season game action against the Jets on Oct. 29, when the coaching staff didn’t even allow him to attempt a pass in the second half in favor of a run-heavy game plan.
It’s fair to question if DeVito will develop the necessary pocket presence to be a permanent starting quarterback in the NFL, but his ability to sling the football all around the field so far has been an encouraging sign.
“I think it’s something innate that they have that they are able to keep their eyes down the field, stay in the pocket, move a little bit, maybe get out when they have to, an instinctive feel that the good ones that I’ve been around have done a good job with that,” Daboll said. “I’d say that he’s got some good pocket presence. Obviously, we’ve got some stuff to work on but for a young player, he’s willing to stand in there. He has pretty quiet feet — quick feet but quiet feet when he has to. The line knows where he’s going to be most of the time, and he gets the ball out like he does throw with some good anticipation and timing.”
DeVito’s first start at MetLife Stadium should be a tougher test than Washington, which is now allowing a league-high 27.7 points per game.
New England’s defense has been more mediocre than expected this season (14th in defense-adjusted value over average), but the Patriots are coming off of a bye week and legendary coach Bill Belichick has typically had success against rookie quarterbacks.
For better or worse, the spotlight on DeVito is intensifying. He’s unlikely to be the Giants’ quarterback of the future, but he has a chance to keep building a name for himself and earn a spot in the NFL.
“Same deal as maybe happened in high school or college when you start getting a little more notoriety for some things, but I’m going to keep my head down and play football,” DeVito said. “I know they love you one week, hate you another. I know how it goes the past two weeks. It’s all bad and today, I’m sure it’s good. And then you know it just depends on the week, but I’d like to stay even keel minded and just enjoy the process.”
