In late May, New York Giants beat writer Paul Schwartz of the New York Post seemed to pour cold water over any idea the club could choose Tommy DeVito over free-agency pickup Drew Lock to serve as the primary backup quarterback behind starter Daniel Jones.
On Monday, The Athletic's Dan Duggan suggested DeVito will receive opportunities to prove his worth to the Giants through the preseason even though Lock will begin the summer as New York's QB2.
"There would be some risk in exposing DeVito to waivers after he engineered a three-game winning streak last season," Duggan explained. "But other teams will have backup quarterbacks who have been on their roster throughout the offseason and training camp. Did DeVito really show enough last season as an undrafted rookie to prompt a team to give him a roster spot over a quarterback with experience in its system?"
A New Jersey native, DeVito became a fan favorite by going 3-1 across his first four regular-season starts after Jones suffered a torn right ACL on Nov. 5.
Lock signed a one-year contract in March that reportedly included $3M in incentives related to playing time and performance, but he largely failed to impress while learning a new offense during springtime workouts.
DeVito, meanwhile, left little doubt in May that he had a chip on his shoulder after being relegated to QB2 duties this spring as Jones continued his recovery. Even still, Duggan thinks both Lock and DeVito could remain with the Giants through at least this coming September.
"The Giants could simply offer him a spot on their 53-man roster if they want to keep him when another team shows interest," Duggan said about DeVito. "DeVito has taken advantage of every off-field opportunity presented as a local hero, so bolting for another practice squad would be an unlikely business decision. And with the NFL’s new practice squad elevation rules, which allows for unlimited game-day promotions for an emergency quarterback, the Giants can bump DeVito to the active roster as much as they desire."
The Lock vs. DeVito battle remains an interesting storyline considering the Giants may want to sit Jones at any point this fall to ensure his salary for 2025 doesn't become guaranteed due to a new injury.
New York can escape Jones' contract next offseason and, thus, could use the second half of the 2024 campaign to have Lock and DeVito audition for future spots on the roster.
As for Jones' status, he appears on track to start New York's regular-season opener versus the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8.
