Tyrod Taylor or Tommy DeVito? The topic of “who should start as quarterback for the New York Giants versus the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17?” has dominated news coverage and online space lately.
The Giants’ response to the query is well known. Taylor, a 13-year veteran who was always expected to start at quarterback in case Daniel Jones got hurt, was going to start, Brian Daboll stated on Wednesday. DeVito, the undrafted rookie who was never expected to play but was compelled to, performed better than anyone could have predicted and ignited a “Tommy Cutlets” frenzy, at least temporarily. He will now sit on the bench.
The argument has served as a diversion. As the Giants slog to the end of a disappointing double-digit loss season, it has been a topic of conversation and discussion.
In actuality, the argument is also wholly irrelevant. Is there a better quarterback for the Giants in 2024 and beyond? That is the true topic of the discussion.
That guy isn’t going to be Taylor.Next year, he’ll be 35 and playing in his 14th NFL season. The Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, and now the Giants are the teams he has spent time with. At none of those stops, he was viewed as a franchise player. Throughout his life, he has served as a backup or a stand-in. The Bills started him for three seasons, but when they desired better than mediocrity, they let him go.
After the season, Taylor’s two-year, $11 million contract to cover Daniel Jones expires, making him a free agent. Perhaps next season, the Giants will bring him back. But most likely, they don’t. Taylor will play backup or fill-in somewhere else while he continues his NFL tour, which likely has a few years and a few stops left.
That is not going to be DeVito.Putting aside DeVitomania, there was a reason the young man was not drafted. His arm is not very large. He lacks elite stature and measurables. Although he has some running ability, his legs don’t truly pose a threat to teams.
DeVito’s effectiveness decreased with his playing time, which consequently affected the effectiveness of the Giants’ offence. I questioned a number of draft and QB observers about whether DeVito’s ascent was sustainable at the height of DeVitomania. My memory of Matt Waldman’s response has always been this:
To be clear, based on their scouting reports of passers in the NFL, the majority of NFL teams wait 4-6 weeks to start game-planning specifically against a quarterback. This is why a backup creates excitement early in the season every year, but his play declines when opposing defences gradually incorporate that scouting information into game plans. Those tidbits add up to a “book” about the quarterback in a couple of weeks. The quarterback now needs to demonstrate that he can either develop past his mental, physical, or technical limits or that his limitations are small enough that only a select few defences have the manpower and game plan to limit him.
“DeVito has the potential to develop into a reliable backup who can contribute on the field when needed.”
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler stated that there was a “long shot” that DeVito would be more than a backup.
DeVito may start a few games at the start of the following season, depending on Jones’ recovery from his ruptured ACL and the availability of other players. That does not, however, make him “the starter.” His status as QB1 won’t change.
The Giants anticipate Jones will be their starting quarterback in 2024, as soon as he is well enough to regain the position, general manager Joe Schoen stated at his bye-week press conference.
That does not, however, imply that Jones will become the Giants’ long-term “the guy.”
It is unthinkable that Jones won’t be on the squad the following season, given his contract. If the Giants made him a post-June 1 cut, they would incur $47.105 million in dead-cap money; if they made him a pre-June 1 cut, they would incur $69.315 million.
That isn’t taking place.
Jones has spent the last five seasons with the Giants. What he is is still up for discussion. Additionally, what he isn’t. Jones is appealing to me. He has worked very hard to become the best quarterback he can be, and in my opinion, he is a good, modest, and hardworking man. He hasn’t performed well enough.
He hasn’t lived up to expectations as the draft’s sixth overall selection. He now has a lengthy and worrisome history of injuries to take into account. It’s not his fault that the majority of his time with the Giants has been spent in a chaotic environment. However, as I’ve previously stated, we’ve reached a stage with Jones where the reasons for his lack of general success are irrelevant. With Jones at quarterback, it just seems obvious that the Giants won’t go where they want to go, whatever the cause or whoever is at fault.
The Giants need to focus on who comes after them because it seems obvious that a post-Daniel Jones era is approaching for the team after 2024, depending on what the team decides to do in the draft.
Who will come next?
Don’t tell me about Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, please. Wilson isn’t the player he once was; he will be 36 next season, and he doesn’t make sense for a young, developing squad. Fields? Why would you make a deal for a player who hasn’t yet proven himself as a reliable NFL quarterback? especially considering that you will almost certainly have to make important financial decisions with him as he enters the last year of his rookie contract?
If you are going to rebuild, start with a quarterback at the beginning of his rookie deal who has a four- to five-year runway.
It seems obvious to me that the 2024 NFL Draft will have to provide a possible long-term solution. If you are the Giants, you will most likely have to get one of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels if you are in the area.
The Giants will likely need to look at the second group of quarterbacks in the 2024 draft class, which includes Michael Penix Jr. of Washington, Bo Nix of Oregon, and J.J. McCarthy of Michigan, and figure out how to sign one of those players if they are unable to sign one of those players.
Whether Taylor or DeVito should play in these last two meaningless games is not the main question; that is a far bigger and more crucial one.
