The New York Giants were dealt a tough blow in their 14-3 preseason opener on Thursday, Aug. 8, when their backup quarterback Drew Lock went down with a hip injury. However, a favorable opportunity may have surfaced from the bad news.
Giants third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito had the chance to spell for Lock and reminded the NFL world of why he became a 2023 midseason sensation. The New Jersey native completed 8-15 passes for 92 passing yards. DeVito also took care of the football, conceding no interceptions on the day. The Illinois product spearheaded two consecutive touchdown drives in his third and fourth full drives of the affair after taking over for Lock.
Once again at the forefront of the Giants’ offense, even if just for a short time, New York’s decision-makers may need to take a closer look at DeVito to determine if he can be their backup QB option for the future behind starter Daniel Jones, or if they will ultimately have to capitulate to the pressure that he declared he’ll place on the franchise if they phase him out of their rotation altogether in 2024.
Giants may have tough QB2 decision between Tommy DeVito & Drew Lock looming
Art Stapleton of Northjersey.com shared this quote from Giants head coach Brian Daboll about when the team can hope to expect Lock back from his ailment:
“‘It could be longer than a couple days, but I don’t want to give you one answer and then it’s not,’ Daboll said Friday, adding that he had yet to meet with the team’s medical staff prior to his video call with reporters. He did acknowledge the Giants could be in the market to add an arm with Jones and DeVito the only two healthy quarterbacks on the roster,” Stapleton reported.
Further, the Giants beat reporter also highlighted DeVito’s self-professed approach to the game, which translated on the field when his number was called:
“Last year was a little bit of nerves. First NFL game, so there was a lot of excitement that went into it,” DeVito said. “But now I kind of get the gist of it, played in some actual games that are a little different than preseason. But treat every game like it’s the Super Bowl. So, you go out there and try to play everything and put your best foot forward.”
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Can DeVito find his way back into the Giants’ rotation following Lock’s injury?
Per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, coach Daboll stated that Jones will likely reclaim his starting spot in New York’s second preseason matchup against the Houston Texans on Saturday. However, judging from Daboll’s comments, there is a chance that DeVito could see a similar workload against the Texans at QB2 if Lock misses that matchup.
As of now, Jones appears to be cemented as the starter for the 2024 campaign, but he’s had Lock breathing down his neck all offseason as a viable replacement. Nevertheless, DeVito can upset the apple cart in New York if he continues to translate his play into Giants wins. He did not find one of his pass catchers in the end zone nor did he reach it himself on the ground and he only picked up two yards rushing overall on the game against the Lions.
Yet, if he still has the 1,101 passing yards, 8-3 TD-INT ratio, and 64 percent completion percentage that carried him to a 3-3 record and an NFC Offensive Player of the Week award in 2023 running through his veins, then “Tommy Cutlets” can potentially elongate his tenure in New York, while not riding the pine at that.
