Tommy DeVito was the third quarterback on the depth chart until Monday when he jumped to QB1 after the Giants benched Daniel Jones.
Drew Lock, the No. 2 quarterback who signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Giants this offseason, admitted surprise. DeVito wasn’t.
“I wouldn’t say surprised,” DeVito said, via Jordan Raanan of ESPN. “I was open for all outcomes. It was kind of something that I had been trying for since last year. You always stay ready. You never know.”
DeVito-mania was a thing last year when he threw eight touchdown passes and three interceptions as the Giants went 3-3 in his six starts. Yet, the Giants signed Lock in the offseason without a competition for the backup job.
“Last year was a good story and all, how it happened,” DeVito said. “All the fun and games outside, it was fun. That was last year. I’m sticking to football now. Not that I wasn’t before.
“The external stuff will be on pause. I already had talks with everybody around me, my inner circle. Want it to stay very tight and make sure that everything is about production on Sunday.”
DeVito took all the first-team reps at Wednesday’s practice, with Lock working with the scout team, as usual. Jones was fourth in line during individual drills behind even Tim Boyle, who signed to the practice squad earlier this week.
The Giants won’t risk Jones’ $23 million injury guarantee by playing him or practicing him.
For now, it’s DeVito who replaces him as the starter.
Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans returned to practice Wednesday, getting limited work. The team is hopeful he can get back on the field this week after missing three games with a hamstring injury.
Tampa Bay has gone 0-3 without Evans.
“From what I can see, [he’s] good, and just talking to him, he seems really positive about it,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said Wednesday, via Scott Smith of the team website. “You guys know: Mike’s a pro. He’s going to do everything he can to get back out there with us and fight for this team as we take it one game at a time.”
Evans’ NFL-record 10 consecutive seasons of 1,000 yards to open a career is in serious jeopardy. He has only 26 receptions for 336 yards and six touchdowns with seven games remaining.
Nose tackle Greg Gaines (foot), cornerback Troy Hill (toe) and quarterback Zyon McCollum (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. Safety Tykee Smith (knee) and left tackle Tristan Wirfs (knee/foot) were limited.
Daniel Jones fell to fourth on the depth chart this week. He is not the only Giants quarterback who received a demotion.
Tommy DeVito leap-frogged Drew Lock to take over the starting job from Jones.
Lock admits he doesn’t understand the move, seeing that he was the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart before Jones’ benching.
“That’s a question I might still have for myself,” Jones said, via video from SNY Giants. “It was expressed to me that I was going to be the two. Interesting situation. Not much I can say about it besides again, I’m going to be here for him.”
Lock is sad for Jones and sad for himself but happy for DeVito.
“There’s a ton of emotions involved in all of it,” Lock said. “I would say that this is still a business. I want more jobs after this year. So, if I come in and be ugly and nasty, it leaves a bad taste in these guys’ mouths, and who knows how fast that spreads?
“I’m going to come in and be great. Not to mention, I’m become really close with Tommy. It’s more than just a business thing. I appreciate him. He’s a great friend, and I want him to go out there and do well. He deserves to go out there and play well. He deserves to have this team behind him. I’m excited [for him].”
The Giants signed Lock to a one-year, $5 million deal to be Jones’ backup this season. It was, as everyone has pointed out, money the team could have spent to keep running back Saquon Barkley if the Giants weren’t going to play Lock.
Lock started two games for the Seahawks last season and has 23 career starts between his stops in Denver and Seattle. He has 5,289 career passing yards with 28 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.
Daniel Jones is sinking like a stone.
The former Giants starter has fallen all the way to No. 4 on the depth chart, after his benching and the signing of Tim Boyle to the practice squad.
Via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, Jones was the fourth quarterback in individual drills on Wednesday, the first practice since the benching.
The goal is to limit his activity, given the risk that any injury that lingers into 2025 could put the Giants on the hook for $23 million in compensation guaranteed for injury.
The Giants would likely send him home if they could. By rule, the Giants can’t shut him down completely. But they can keep him off the field for team drills, and they have no obligation to activate him on game days.
After Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans left the team’s Week Seven loss to the Ravens with a hamstring injury, word was that he was expected to miss three games with a targeted return in Week 12 against the Giants.
It looks like that plan remains in place. Evans did some work when the team returned from their bye week on Monday and reports from the open portion of Tampa’s practice on Wednesday say that he is participating again.
The team’s injury report for the day will bring more information about how much he’s participating, but his presence on the field is a significant step in his return to the lineup for the NFC South club.
The Bucs lost all three games they played without Evans and will need to go on a winning streak to harbor real hopes of passing the Falcons in the division because the Falcons swept the season series between the teams. Evans’s presence wouldn’t guarantee they go on that kind of run, but it would make it a lot likelier.
Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux is on his way back to the lineup.
Head coach Brian Daboll told reporters that Thibodeaux has been designated for return from injured reserve on Wednesday. Daboll said the team is optimistic that Thibodeaux will be able to play against the Buccaneers this weekend.
Thibodeaux had wrist surgery after being injured in the team’s Week Five win over the Seahawks. Before he was injured, Thibodeaux posted 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, and seven quarterback hits this season.
While the Giants hope to get him back in the lineup this weekend, they will have a 21-day window for Thibodeaux to work out with the team before reaching a deadline to activate him.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame has revealed the 25 modern-era players on the ballot for its Class of 2025.
Five of the players could be chosen in their first year of eligibility: Eli Manning, Luke Kuechly, Terrell Suggs, Earl Thomas and Adam Vinatieri.
The other 20 are Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Willie Anderson, Anquan Boldin, Jahri Evans, Antonio Gates, James Harrison, Rodney Harrison, Torry Holt, Robert Mathis, Steve Smith, Fred Taylor, Hines Ward, Ricky Watters, Reggie Wayne, Richmond Webb, Vince Wilfork, Steve Wisniewski, Darren Woodson and Marshal Yanda.
Those 25 players represent the modern-era semifinalists. The Hall of Fame Selection Committee will vote to reduce that list to 15 finalists, who will be announced in December. The final voting will include those 15 finalists plus three nominees in the seniors category, one coach and one contributor.
Ultimately, a Hall of Fame class of between four and eight people will be selected and announced at NFL Honors in New Orleans during Super Bowl week. The Class of 2025 will be inducted in August.
Before benching Daniel Jones, the Giants had three quarterbacks on the depth chart. Now, they have four.
The addition of Tim Boyle to the practice squad invites fair speculation regarding the plans for Jones over the balance of the season. If he won’t be playing in order to avoid $23 million in injury guarantees for 2025, why should the Giants let him practice?
Why let him do anything on the team’s premises?
Boyle’s arrival could be a hint of a potential push-and-pull to come with Jones. They might invite him to basically stay home with pay, collecting the balance of his $35.5 million salary — in the form of $1.97 million weekly paychecks. Alternatively, he can show up but do nothing that could get himself injured.
If he’s willing to do it, no problem. If he isn’t, big problem. Potentially.
When the Titans decided to trade Steve McNair after drafting Vince Young in 2006, they locked McNair out of the facility so that his non-guaranteed salary for the upcoming year wouldn’t become fully guaranteed if he had a mishap as simple as dropping a dumbbell on his foot. The end result was a grievance and a ruling that teams can’t keep a player away from work. That their only option if they don’t want him around is to trade or release him.
With the trade deadline come and gone, the Giants would have to release Jones, if they want to fully ensure that he won’t get injured in the building and unlock $23 million in additional pay next year.
If Jones would be released, he’d go through waivers. No one would claim his contract. He’d then become a free agent, able to sign with any team at any time.
And it would be hilarious if he ended up with the Eagles.
Which might be the main reason for the Giants to try to find a way to keep Jones on ice without having to put him on waivers.
The Giants signed Tim Boyle to their practice squad, but they worked out another quarterback Tuesday.
Free agent Alex McGough went through a tryout with the team, Eric Edholm of NFL Media reports. The Giants have named Tommy DeVito as the starter, benching Daniel Jones, who likely has played his final snap for them.
The Seahawks made McGough a seventh-round pick in 2018, but he has not played a regular-season game in his career.
McGough spent the 2023 on the Packers’ practice squad as the third quarterback behind Jordan Love and Sean Clifford.
He was the USFL’s MVP during the 2023 season.
The Packers moved him to wide receiver in the 2024 offseason but waived him in July with an undisclosed injury.
The Giants are adding another quarterback to their team.
Per Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com, New York is signing veteran Tim Boyle to its practice squad.
The Giants have benched Daniel Jones and will start Tommy DeVito going forward this season. Drew Lock is set to be the club’s backup with Jones now as the No. 3 QB.
Adding Boyle could be insurance if DeVito or Lock becomes unavailable, as playing Jones could trigger his $23 million injury guarantee for 2025.
Boyle appeared in two games for Miami earlier this season, completing 15-of-26 passes for 153 yards. He’s appeared in 22 games with five starts since 2019, losing all five starts.
DeVito will make his first start of the season on Sunday against the Buccaneers.
According to multiple reports, the Giants are also adding offensive tackle Tyre Phillips to their practice squad.
Dan Duggan of TheAthletic.com noted New York is cutting linebacker Curtis Bolton from the practice squad.
