How Giants Have Been Supporting Tommy DeVito's Transition to Starter

Tommy DeVito will get his first NFL start Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Here's how the coaches have been getting him ready.

Author:
Quinn Slaven
Publish date:
Nov 10, 2023 12:00 PM EST

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New York Giants

New York Giants rookie quarterback Tommy Devito is preparing for one of the tallest tasks imaginable in his first career start against the 5-3 Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

DeVito, who piloted the Giants offense the last two weeks after Tyrod Taylor left with a rib cage injury (vs. Washington) and Jones left with a torn ACL (vs. the Raiders), will be in the driver's seat for the foreseeable future per head coach Brian Daboll.

Thus far, DeVito has completed 15 of 20 through the air for 175 yards. He also connected with receiver Wan’Dale Robinson for a touchdown last week against the Raiders in a 30-6 loss.

With DeVito now in charge of the offense, the Giants coaches have been doing all they can to expedite the rookie's comfort level. And so far, the coaches have liked how DeVito has approached the challenge.

“He approaches the position with confidence, and, when you’re playing quarterback, you want to have that confidence, you want to have that demeanor when you walk into the huddle. I think he has that,” offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said.

“It’s something that looks like he’s had his whole life. He’s a confident kid, not just on the field but also off the field. He brings an energy with him that kind of permeates throughout the room.”

Switching from a team staple in Jones to a developmental rookie, most offensive coordinators would look to keep the playbook simple. Kafka says they are relying on the talent around DeVito and what they saw from him in the preseason to game plan against Dallas.

“You look back at some of the stuff he did well in preseason or some of the stuff he did well in college and try to get a real good feel for how he likes to operate. Then you put together a plan that fits that person and all the other ten guys on the field,” Kafka said.

November 5, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito (15) passes the football against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium.

Daboll revealed that he, Kafka, and quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney have spent extra time this week with DeVito to find out what he likes to do and what he's most comfortable with, input they plan to incorporate into the game plan.

“I think the biggest part is putting together a plan that our guys can go out there and execute. Whether it’s in the run game, in the passing game, things where our guys can play fast,” Kafka said.

“These guys play a fast style of defense, an aggressive style of defense, so we have to be able to match that, and I think having the right mentality throughout this week of practice, putting together the right plan for those guys to do that, I think that’s going to give us a chance.”

An undrafted free agent, Devito played four years at Syracuse before finishing off his college career at Illinois. During his college career, he completed 63.1 percent of his passes and tallied 43 touchdowns.

On April 29, just after the 2023 NFL Draft, the Giants signed DeVito. He was waived on August 29, 2023, and re-signed to the practice squad. His coach hopes he sees Sunday’s tall task as an opportunity. DeVito is only the tenth undrafted quarterback to start a game since 2010.

“I think for him, just understand that it’s an opportunity to take advantage of. It’s not something that happens all the time, like you said, but it’s an opportunity, so he’s got to go out there and take advantage of it,” Kafka said.