The New York Giants will finish up the 2024 preseason schedule as the away team versus the New York Jets this Saturday night at MetLife Stadium.
With Daniel Jones unlikely to play and Drew Lock (oblique) relegated to “emergency” duty as per head coach Brian Daboll, the workload falls to the only other quarterback on the Giants’ roster — Tommy DeVito.
On Thursday, Daboll was asked if DeVito would “go the whole way” and take every snap on Saturday night.
“We’ll see what we do with everybody else,” Daboll said, adding that a fourth quarterback will not be signed.
What they’re going to do is sit Jones and play DeVito, that’s what. Lock will dress and the Giants will cross their fingers they can get through the game without using him.
DeVito is poised to get a nice, long look in this game. Let’s call him the “only man up.”
If things break right for the Giants this year, it might be the last time we see him in bounds with his helmet strapped this season.
“I haven’t been told yet, but as soon as I’m told, I’m ready to go always,” DeVito told reporters on Thursday. “It’s part of the job when you come into it, you never know what’s going to happen. I dealt with that last year, being the next man up. Whenever Dabes tells me I’m ready to go, I’ll be out there and play.”
And ready he will be. In the Giants’ preseason opener, DeVito was called on early when Lock went down in the first quarter and led the Giants on two scoring drives. Last week, the Giants started Jones for the first half and DeVito was left to play with the backups for the second half of the game. Things didn’t go as well.
This week, with the Jets sitting many of their key players, he should get a fair shake under center. He welcomes the work.
“There’s nothing like game reps, especially for a quarterback. Practice is good and all, but it’s a little different when you’re able to get hit, especially being in game situations and really dealing with them,” DeVito said. “The two-minute drill and everything we do out here is good, but it’s a little different when you’re out there doing it on the field. To have that under my belt, which not a lot of people get to have, let alone a rookie, I’m very grateful for that experience that I had. It definitely helped me now, especially between the years.”
The Giants almost have to carry three quarterbacks this season, so there’s no real drama about whether or not DeVito will make the roster.
“It’s not my decision. It’s not in my hands,” he said. “So for me, it’s just to continue, every time I’m out on the field, show why I proved really to myself, first and foremost, that I belong somewhere in the NFL. Honestly, I want to be with the Giants… but when I’m out there on the field, I just continue to try to get out and get better each play and every day.”
Playing well on Saturday night will give both DeVito and the Giants some peace of mind, though.
