After New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll announced that he was benching Daniel Jones in favor of Tommy DeVito, he expressed hope that DeVito could bring a much-needed “spark” to the 2-8 team. DeVito had a strong start to his career last season, winning three of his first four games as an undrafted rookie.
However, ESPN’s Seth Walder explained why fans shouldn’t expect DeVito to suddenly become the savior the Giants are looking for when they face the 4-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Walder pointed out that DeVito’s performance so far has not been impressive. He mentioned that DeVito had a very low 24 QBR, was 4% below his expected completion percentage, and had an extremely high sack rate of 16%—far worse than the average 7% sack rate from last season.
For context, Walder noted that Deshaun Watson, the Cleveland Browns quarterback, was ranked last in the NFL with an adjusted QBR of 22.5, and Tennessee Titans’ Will Levis had the second-lowest at 32.7.
There has been speculation about why Daboll is choosing DeVito over Drew Lock, who had been the backup quarterback behind Jones.
While Daboll reportedly believes that DeVito gives the Giants the best chance to win at home, some believe that the team is simply starting DeVito to give fans a reason to show up to the game, which they may have skipped otherwise.
As a rookie, DeVito completed 64% of his passes for 1,101 yards, with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He also rushed for 195 yards and one touchdown.
In comparison, Lock has started 23 games in his career, with a 9-14 record and 794 pass attempts. This could suggest that Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen want to see how DeVito has improved since last season.
It’s also important to note that Lock, who joined the Giants in March, knows the offense well and could step in as the starting quarterback if DeVito struggles or gets injured during the game against Tampa Bay.
At this point, the Giants have little to lose by giving DeVito the chance to prove his potential for the future, starting on Sunday.
