Undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito will start for the Giants this weekend as the team attempts to avenge their 40-0 season-opening loss against Dallas. With both starter Daniel Jones and primary backup Tyrod Taylor both sidelined with injury, the Giants have turned to the Illinois signal-caller. It's the first time in the common draft era, excluding strike-affected seasons, that the Giants have started an undrafted rookie.
"He's been here for a long time. He's picked up our stuff, so we're going to go with DeVito here. [Barkley has] only been here a week. There are obviously nuances that he's learning, but he'll be ready to go to back [DeVito] up," Brian Daboll said of the decision. The Giants signed veteran Matt Barkley this week. However, as Daboll mentioned, they do not feel that he's ready to start for them at this point. DeVito had 6516 yards across five seasons - four with Syracuse and one with Illinois.
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Baptism By Fire For DeVito
However, DeVito will not have an easy debut in the league. Last time the two sides met, in the season opener, the Cowboys flattened the Giants 40-0. Eight weeks later and the Giants are 2-7 while the Cowboys are 5-3. That includes going 3-2 in their last five games. Despite Dallas not becoming a juggernaut on the back of that 40-0 win, they are doing a far sight better than the Giants.
The Giants have a middling pass defense and the 4th worst rushing defense. They were just blown out 30-6 to by a Raiders team debuting a new head coach. Furthermore, they have only scored a total of 101 points through their first nine games. This is a team that is aiming down, not up, for the rest of the season. And now, their first undrafted rookie since the 1960s has to go out and face a team with serious playoff ambitions. The game takes place this weekend in Dallas and will be broadcast on Fox.
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