Undrafted New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito is now dealing with the realization that his ride as the team’s starter may be over.
In Monday’s 30-24 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas Day, the ineffective DeVito was benched at halftime after going 9 of 16 for 55 yards.
The former Syracuse and Illinois signal-caller has been the talk of the Big Apple since he was thrust into the starting lineup eight weeks ago.
Despite the surprising success that DeVito has enjoyed, on Monday he was hit with the stark reality that his time may be up. But, if anyone has ever capitalized on their 15 minutes of fame it’s DeVito, who became a sort of pop culture figure.
The 25-year-old Livingston, New Jersey, native even filed trademarks for “Tommy Cutlets” and the “Passing Paisano.”
DeVito took the benching in stride and sounded like someone who’s just grateful for the opportunity.
Passing Paisano Shares His Thoughts On Benching
“I understand, it’s a business,” DeVito said. “We weren’t doing great on offense in the first half, I’m not sure what the numbers were, but we weren’t scoring enough points so a change was made. Tried to get a spark and that was it.”
“It’s just a constant reminder that it’s a business. They’re always gonna try and find someone to replace you, whatever it is, but at the same time, it is a business, it’s your job, I respect it, there’s no feelings one way or another. I was hoping Tyrod was gonna go out there and ball and we win the game. It’s nothing more than that.”
In eight starts this season DeVito has gone 3-5, including a three-game winning streak over the Commanders, Patriots and Packers.
In his eight starts he’s passed for 1,087 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s also rushed for another 195 yards and one touchdown, including a career-high 71 yards on the ground in a Monday night football win over the Packers.
So, if nothing else being an undrafted player, DeVito has already overachieved.
Daboll Makes Decisions On Starter Going Forward
During Tuesday’s off day, second-year Giants head coach Brian Daboll said no decision has been made on the starter going forward. The reigning NFL Coach of the Year mentioned that he and his staff will discuss it after watching game tape from Monday’s game. That changed Wednesday when he announced that Taylor would start versus the Rams.
Taylor, who became the starter when Daniel Jones was ruled out for the season with a neck injury, subsequently was injured as well, putting DeVito in as QB1. Daboll’s decision to stick with Taylor this week in some ways proves the Giants are tanking.
At 5-10 and currently locked into the No. 5 pick in April’s draft, staying there would net the Giants a difference-maker in the draft. In many ways a player who they can plug and play right away.
Starting Taylor could hurt those chances, but after last week’s performance Daboll has to play the veteran so that it doesn’t look like a complete tank job.
Jones might not even be ready to start the 2024-25 season so trust and believe that Giants fans haven’t seen the last of Tommy Cutlets.
