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Jordan Raanan, ESPN workforce editor
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey – It was a hot summer afternoon in August and New York Giants fans attending training camp at the time had already reached their boiling point over founding quarterback Daniel Jones. He had missed some deep passes and two young university students began shouting for his replacement.
“Tommy! Tommy DeVito!” they shouted. “You’re the man. We want Tommy.”
Sometimes the backup quarterback is the most frequent guy in town. In this case for the Giants, it’s actually the third player, second-year QB Tommy DeVito. The local boy turned sports hero attended a Cedar Grove High School football game vs. Verona in his homeland of Cedar Grove, New Jersey, in September, and it was as if a sitting president had walked into the complex.
“I went there and it was a damn riot,” DeVito said. “As soon as I walked in, the student sections were screaming. It was crazy.”
It’s the kind of response that in most cases isn’t reserved for the backup quarterback. But there is still a sector of the fan base that respects what the nation’s hero did as a rookie. And with the Giants suffering, that subset of the fan base longs to close out the fairy tale of the rags-to-riches year. The conceptual process seems like it will at least make it more exciting than seeing Jones’ attempt again.
The Giants (2-6) have already begun the process of moving on from Jones. They were on “Hard Knocks” this offseason looking to pursue a quarterback in the draft and then benched Jones to replace Drew Lock, late in a blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago.
Jones will start Sunday against the Washington Commanders (1 p.m. ET, FOX), but he’s looking forward to the road much longer. His inconsistent play (six touchdowns versus five interceptions in eight starts) and the team’s struggles have even called into question his final month.
Meanwhile, Lock and DeVito are looking forward to their week as the Jones scout team’s quarterback pace takes each and every first-team rep in practice.
Lock is a sixth-year player who was selected in the first round of the same 2019 NFL draft that brought Jones to the Giants. DeVito is in his second year still looking for a park in the league. He won three straight games in 2023, confirmed he can play in games (he threw for 246 yards with three touchdowns and bad interceptions in a win last November over Washington), then was pushed back to the 1/3 QB position this offseason. when the Giants secured Lock $5 million as an independent agent.
“I mean, it’s like anything else. I know it’s a business,” DeVito said. “So I understood it, I guess, a little bit. The competitiveness in myself, knowing in my head, I thought I had done that or given a spark or a glimpse of what it could be, but I knew I was just a rookie. [The Giants] He probably wanted a guy who had a little more experience. “That’s the path they took, but we’ll see how they move forward.”
DeVito took the branch at hurricane speed winning those three consecutive games that spanned from mid-November to early December’s season finale. He arrived just a few months and then went undrafted at the University of Illinois.
Living at home and not being ashamed of his Italian heritage, he is relatable to a large portion of the fanbase. He became an immediate sensation as the latest ‘Jersey boy’ to notice the Italian birthday party with his hands pinched at touchdowns.
“I’ve always been unapologetically myself,” said DeVito, an admitted mama’s boy who doesn’t drink and has no qualms about walking around with a Shirley Temple (different cherries).
It’s crazy to believe that DeVito isn’t the third most famous quarterback in the NFL. When he walks the net after Lock, there’s no contest as to who will be known more often. It is DeVito who will get his teammates reservations to the famous Italian restaurant Carbone in New York or tickets to Yankees International Order games. He was there for Games 4 and 5 last year in the Bronx.
DeVito, 26, no longer lives at home, but he feels more identified with his network. He has also developed a good relationship with Lock, who has a neighboring reserve. He has created a quarterback room that respects his approach.
“That’s the good thing about [the] quarterback room too. I think we understand that this guy is number one, this guy is a [backup]this guy is a [third-string QB]”Lock said. “Opportunities will come to one of us, maybe two of us, maybe three of us. And we want the best for everyone who comes in and plays. “There are a lot of rooms that don’t handle it that way.”
That’s the point with DeVito. Despite all the consideration, his selfishness (not to be confused with his self-confidence) has come under study. It needs to end and it’s no longer a one-hit surprise. This year he has had a headache and has been working for a long time.
Quarterback educator Shea Tierney says the biggest thing left this year is DeVito’s learning in the Giants’ system. It allows DeVito to assemble indicators and tests more fluidly in the series of scrimmage within the running game and with cross guards.
It has advanced “by leaps and bounds,” according to Tierney.
DeVito spent the week this offseason learning in Florida and developing his rookie season. A central point used to be getting the ball out faster. Still, he’s back where he used to be this week last year: sitting and waiting behind two alternate quarterbacks. More easily this week, a metamorphosis in the form of pecking could occur at any time, and not simply as a result of shock.
“Every step of the way there’s always something there,” DeVito said. “So, to overcome the obstacles… I just keep my head down, work and be prepared. Similar situation to last year, when you are No. 3.” [quarterback]. You never know what’s going to happen. Be ready to roll when it’s time to roll. That’s all.”
As things are resolved mid-season, it may be quicker than later.
