NEW YORK (AP) — Tommy DeVito's time with the New York Giants may be over, after they released the fan favorite quarterback Tuesday as part of a series of moves to set their initial 53-man roster.
Returning on the practice squad is a possibility, though DeVito could draw interest from teams around the NFL for a third-string role, given his experience. Now 27, he has started eight games and appeared in 12, completing 65% of his passes for 1,358 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions.
DeVito, an undrafted free agent and a northern New Jersey native who picked up the nickname “Tommy Cutlets,” was not expected to make the team after the signings of veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston and selection of Jaxson Dart in the first round of the draft. Coach Brian Daboll said DeVito did everything he was asked to do in training camp and preseason games, but there was no chance New York was keeping four QBs.
During exhibition play, DeVito was 30 of 38 for 323 yards with four TDs and one pick. Asked afterward about his future, he acknowledged the possibility it would be his final time in a Giants uniform.
“I think about that in the sense of every time you go on the field you never know what’s going to be your last,” DeVito said. “Having the roller coaster I’ve had in the past with injuries and playing performance, whatever it is, every time I go out, I try to put my all because never know when it is going to be your last.”
Wilson goes into the season as the starter, something Daboll has reiterated time and again, especially in light of Dart's progress from spring into summer.
“He’s been as consistent as can be since he’s been here,” Daboll said of Wilson when asked on a video call Tuesday about the 36-year-old. “Been a professional in this league a long time. I have a lot of confidence in Russ.”
There were no major surprises among the cuts made. Reserve offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu was placed on injured reserve designated to return.
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Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
