The New York Giants have been without their backup QB Tyrod Taylor for the last three weeks, starting third-stringer and undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito in his place. After a strong performance in Week 11 saw DeVito lead the Giants to their third win of the season in his second career start, the Giants may have a tough decision to make.
Taylor will be eligible to return from injured reserve in Week 14 after Big Blue has its bye week in Week 13. As the second-string quarterback, Taylor would seemingly be in line to assume the starting position over DeVito. But considering DeVito’s development in recent weeks, the team could elect to ride it out with the third-string rookie.
Should Tyrod Taylor take back his starting position?
DeVito will remain the starter in Week 12 against the New England Patriots as Taylor will still be on injured reserve. But in Week 13, the Giants will have their bye, then face the Green Bay Packers in Week 14 when Taylor is eligible to return to the active roster.
Taylor had made three starts this season prior to suffering a rib injury in Week 8 that would land him on injured reserve. In his first two starts, Taylor went 1-1, losing a close game to the Buffalo Bills and beating the Washington Commanders. He completed 42 of his 65 attempts (64.6%) for 479 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions in those two games.
The Giants’ offense was moving with efficiency while Taylor was in the starting lineup. However, DeVito has since taken over and has not looked back ever since. The way DeVito is playing, there is a chance that Taylor will remain on the sidelines even when he is healthy enough to play.
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Why the Giants might stick with Tommy DeVito instead
DeVito made franchise history in his Week 11 win. He became the first Giants quarterback since 1950 to total five touchdowns in his first two starts.
In Week 10, DeVito threw two touchdown passes in the Giants’ blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys. They bounced back this weekend against the Commanders, though, thanks in large part to the excellent play of DeVito.
DeVito played with confidence on Sunday afternoon, going 18/26 (69.2%) with 246 passing yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. This performance demonstrated the potential that DeVito possesses.
If the Giants continue with DeVito as their starter for the rest of the regular season, they will provide themselves with plenty of film to evaluate the rookie in the offseason and determine whether or not they want to keep him around long-term.
The chances of DeVito developing into a starting quarterback are slim, but this performance against Washington proved that DeVito may have the makings of a varsity athlete — he could develop into a competent backup quarterback.
The Giants are playing their best football with DeVito under center and, if this continues, they should reward him with extended playing time this season regardless of Taylor’s injury status.
