Tommy DeVito made his 2024 preseason debut on Thursday night, coming on in relief of the injured Drew Lock at MetLife Stadium, where DeVito built himself into a fan favorite last season.
The New Jersey native went on to complete eight of 15 passes for 92 yards in an eventual win over the Lions, which Jerry Recco says was further evidence that DeVito has what it takes to be an NFL quarterback.
Does that mean a starter? Not necessarily, but he says DeVito has shown enough promise since last season that the Giants would be taking a big risk by not including him on the roster.
“I don’t know what his future is here,” Jerry said. “If he ends up on the practice squad, you don’t think someone will pick him off? He’s shown he can at least play at the level last year. He went out there [Thursday], and I’m not saying he was John Elway out there, but he made something happen.
“I know when you get put on a practice squad, another team can just pluck you right off and put you on the roster. I would think, in a quarterback-starved league…there are second string quarterbacks who don’t look the part…Tommy DeVito has shown he can play a little bit. I think one out of 31 other teams might need that.”
DeVito would be left exposed for other teams to grab him if he is left on the practice squad, which is where he will be if Big Blue carries two quarterbacks in Lock and Daniel Jones. Willie Colon agrees there is a risk involved if that’s the way the team goes with the cult hero.
“He’s mobile, he’s young, he’s a local legend,” Colon said. “I think the Giants love that he’s young, and you see some fight in him…will somebody grab him? Who knows.”