Unkindest Cut: New York Giants Quarterbacks
The New York Giants hope to have more clarity about starter Daniel Jones's readiness and recovery from a torn ACL by the time training camp begins on July 23.
But even if the best-case scenario occurs and Jones gets the green light to do everything come the first practice on July 24, that doesn’t mean that the team won’t still execute caution with him during the preseason games by either holding him out altogether or limiting his snaps.
In that scenario, the backup quarterbacks will likely take center stage in the three preseason games, and one such battle to watch will be between Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito, both of whom are buying to be QB2 behind Jones this season.
Based on his contract and incentives, it appears that the QB2 job is Lock’s to lose, although this is not entirely fair to DeVito. Last year, as an undrafted rookie forced into NFL action despite not being fully ready, the Cedar Grove native held his own in games, showing that he could win against good teams like the Green Bay Packers.
Although the clock struck midnight on DeVito’s magical run before the season ended, there’s no question that DeVito earned the right to compete this year for the QB2 role.
So why do we think DeVito could be this year’s “unkindest cut” at the quarterback position? During head coach Brian Daboll’s tenure, the Giants have never opened a season with three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, mainly because the injury situation at other positions made doing so a luxury the team couldn’t afford.
If DeVito does get to play in the preseason and looks as good, if not better, than he did in that three-game winning stretch last year, it’s going to be very difficult for the Giants to try to slip him onto the practice squad, especially if another quarterback-needy team has an eye on him.
Remember, DeVito would hit waivers, and his contract could be claimed by another team. This is different from his being signed to the practice squad where, if another team attempted to poach him, he could reject the offer.
But one thing could work in the Giants’ favor if they want to keep three quarterbacks on the roster to start the season: the tweaked injured reserve (IR) rule.
The previous iteration of IR mandated that any players put on injured reserve on the final roster reduction day would be lost for the season. That has been modified to allow teams to designate two such injured players for return off the IR list on the final roster reduction day.
This, in turn, means the team doesn’t have to carry an extra player on a unit that has injuries. And because of that, it’s conceivable that keeping extra players at certain positions where, once a luxury that depended on the health of the team coming out of training camp, might become more of a reality.
PATRICIA TRAINA
Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for over three decades for various media outlets. She is the host of the Locked On Giants podcast and the author of "The Big 50: New York Giants: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants" (Triumph Books, September 2020). View Patricia's full bio.