Getty Will the New York Giants replace Tommy DeVito as the starting quarterback in Week 14?
The news around New York Giants land Monday morning (Dec. 4) was that veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor will return to practice officially ahead of Week 14 — first shared by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport and later confirmed by the organization.
That means Taylor will be eligible to be activated off the injured reserve as Big Blue prepares to play host to the Green Bay Packers on December 11. And according to Giants beat writer Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, “this makes [the] Giants QB controversy a real thing.”
Without Taylor or Daniel Jones available, Tommy DeVito has started the past three games — taking the Giants fanbase by storm. Not only has the undrafted rookie gone 2-1 to keep playoff hopes alive, but he has also pumped some life into this NYG locker room.
Could head coach Brian Daboll really turn back to Taylor after that?
Starting Tommy DeVito vs. Packers Makes Sense on So Many Levels
With every outing being crucial at this stage of the season, the Giants have a big decision to make on Taylor versus DeVito. But realistically, the latter is the only choice that makes sense.
During his bye week press conference, Giants general manager Joe Schoen reiterated several times that the front office will have to address the QB room this spring being that Jones will be rehabbing and Taylor is a free agent. That doesn’t preclude Schoen from re-signing Taylor, but it does tell you that a future in New York is no guarantee.
DeVito, on the other hand, is 25 years old and under contract. The rookie also appears to have a solid grasp of Daboll’s system, making him a potential backup — or even starting — candidate of the future.
Yes, DeVito developing into a starter is somewhat unrealistic, but we do see players like Brock Purdy leading the MVP race in the modern-day NFL so you cannot rule it out. The only way to figure out his ceiling is to keep playing him.
Going one step further, the locker room has seemingly rallied around DeVito. Why stifle that momentum on a two-game winning streak?
There are many reasons to stick with DeVito and only one real thought on handing the job back to Taylor — he gives you a better chance to win. That’s debatable, in itself, considering Taylor’s version of the Giants offense has never mustered anything greater than 14 points this season.
Giants WR Darius Slayton Talks Tommy DeVito vs. Tyrod Taylor
Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton met with the media on December 4, and he was asked about how DeVito is different from Taylor. Although the pass-catcher gave a pretty honest answer, he didn’t really hint at which way the locker room might be leaning.
Darius Slayton shares how Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito have their differences when it comes to their approach in the game and how they handle the huddle:
“There’s a lot of things that Tyrod knows about the game,” Slayton replied. “Kind of, more so like the way he carries himself.”
“Everybody kind of has to learn how to carry themselves — like how you fit into a team as you grow in this league,” he explained. “As a rookie, especially a quarterback — a leadership position — you have to kind of find your way and I feel like DeVito’s done a good job of finding his way quickly.”
Slayton did acknowledge that it would be “impossible” for DeVito to close the gap on Taylor from an experience standpoint in one season, but also made it clear that the rookie has “done a great job” so far.
He concluded very diplomatically that he’s “glad to have both” on the Giants.