A year ago, the New York Giants cut quarterback Tommy DeVito at the 53-man roster reduction. Big Blue re-signed him to the practice squad. He went on to start six games as a rookie and became a local sensation.
This time around, DeVito's not just happy to be in camp. He is battling to give the front office a tough choice about whether they keep three QBs on the roster.
"I'm going to put them in a situation to make a decision," DeVito said Sunday, . "It's going to be up to them. I'm going to go out and do my job to the highest ability. It's not in my hands -- this decision."
In nine appearances last season, DeVito completed 64% of his passes for 1,101 yards and eight touchdowns. The Giants went 3-3 in his starts. He helped lead Big Blue to three consecutive wins at one point, culminating in a thrilling last-second 24-22 victory over the Green Bay Packers in prime time in Week 14.
This offseason, the Giants stuck with starter Daniel Jones and inked free agent Drew Lock after veteran Tyrod Taylor moved to Florham Park.
If general manager Joe Schoen decides not to keep three QBs, DeVito is confident he could get scooped up elsewhere.
"I'm very aware of how they operate in this organization," he said. "That's up to them to make that decision, make that gamble. I'm going to continue to play. We'll see how everything unfolds.
"If they decide to [cut me] and I get scooped up, I don't get to make that decision [to say] afterwards, if somebody grabs me, 'No, I want to stay here.' It's everything for the front office."
The Tommy Cutlets experience was a fun ride for Giants fans in a forgettable season, but he was also inconsistent for long stretches and missed far too many passes for a full-time starter. He surpassed the 200-yard passing mark in just one outing (a blowout win against Washington).
However, the 25-year-old showed enough ability to run an offense that he should stick around the league in some capacity for a spell -- Nathan Peterman is still bouncing around, after all.
"That I can play, that I belong," DeVito said. "I can play in a lot of different situations. Obviously, circumstances were not the best, right? There were a lot of guys dinged up. There were a lot of missing pieces. With that being said, we are able to get some momentum, get a couple wins. I proved I belong -- mentally, physically -- and I'm going to continue to grow off that."
