TOM OF HIS LIFE
Backup Devito waiting to really show what he can do for Giants
New game plan. Better weather. Different Tommy DeVito?
One week after he wasn’t asked to throw the ball more than 6 yards downfield when pressed into taking 50 snaps in his NFL debut, DeVito again will be one snap away from quarterbacking the Giants. He will back up Daniel Jones — who is returning from a three-week absence due to a neck injury — Sunday against the Raiders.
If DeVito suddenly finds himself in the game again, will the Giants’ offense revert to telegraphed Saquon Barkley runs? Or can the undrafted rookie do more than he was allowed to show in completing two of seven pass attempts for minus-1 yard during a 13-10 overtime loss against the Jets?
“There were no handcuffs on me at all in the preseason. We threw the ball all over the place,” DeVito told The Post. “On my end, I don’t think there is any lack of confidence. I think it would be a different situation [this week], for sure, on how the game played out.”
With Jones sidelined, DeVito backed up Tyrod Taylor each of the last three games. He wasn’t called upon, however, until Taylor suffered a rib-cage injury when a plan already was in place to mitigate the risk for turnovers associated with playing on wet turf against the Jets’ vaunted secondary.
“It really was part of the game plan, with the way that our defense was playing, the way the weather was, the score of the game,” said DeVito, whose rushing touchdown nearly sparked a 10-7 win. “So many scenarios played into it more than saying we weren’t throwing the ball. Besides the last couple plays, we were winning that football game — and if we win, then nobody says anything about it.”
In the Giants’ ideal world, Jones will play every meaningful snap Sunday. In reality, Jones has missed 13 career games due to various injuries (two to his neck) because his scrambling combined with the Giants’ subpar blocking leave him vulnerable to big hits.
So, DeVito needs to be on standby to play against the NFL’s No. 9-ranked passing defense in the comforts of a domed stadium.
“He’s here for a reason,” head coach Brian Daboll said, “and he’ll be ready to go.”
DeVito earned a spot on the practice squad by completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 453 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the preseason.
But the Jets’ defense has caused fits for Pro Bowlers Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson and Jalen Hurts, so the Giants decided to mostly turn DeVito into a hand-off machine until he was in the unenviable position of facing first-and-20 before their overtime punt.
“Dabes told me at halftime,” DeVito said. “I didn’t take it personal.”
Offensive play-caller Mike Kafka said he has a “ton of confidence” in DeVito. The Giants, who remain without Taylor, doubled down Tuesday by signing DeVito to the 53-man roster and adding veteran Matt Barkley to the practice squad.
“The way I’ve been going about things has not changed,” DeVito said, “but, mentally, just being ready that it really is a possibility. You never wish for anybody to get hurt, but it’s a violent game that we play. That was my first situation actually having to go into a game because of an injury, and that experience is going to help moving forward. It made it real. That ‘one snap’ happened.”
DeVito and Barkley split this week’s scout-team snaps, with DeVito going first, Daboll said. Barkley played under Daboll with the 2018-20 Bills and is waiting in the wings for future games if necessary after recovering from a UCL tear in his elbow during August.
“I’m healthy now,” Barkley said. “The system is fundamentally what I’m used to. It’s nearly plug-and-play.”
DeVito, a Cedar Grove, N.J., native, still hasn’t had a chance to return all the messages he got from friends congratulating him on capping a touchdown drive by scoring for his hometown team. He’s too busy preparing to improve if given a second shot.
“It was cool to score a touchdown,” DeVito said, “but the outcome was the bittersweet part.”