After making a Christmas Day relief effort, Tyrod Taylor will return to action for the Giants. Brian Daboll confirmed the team will move Tommy DeVito back to the bench and go with Taylor against the Rams in Week 17.
The Giants had wanted to look at DeVito for a possible backup role down the line, and the team gave the popular rookie six starts. It took Taylor breaking four ribs to move DeVito into the lineup, though. Daniel Jones‘ top backup going into the past two seasons, Taylor lost his job to a rookie for a fourth time in six years. But the free-agent-to-be will have a chance to continue his audition Sunday.
Numerous starters going down due to injury this season could make this an important audition for Taylor, should the NFL’s QB2 market balloon come 2024. Taylor joins a number of veteran backups headed for free agency. With the Giants not expected to re-sign the 13th-year veteran, he is set to continue submitting tape for other teams to evaluate.
Taylor, 34, expressed disappointment when the Giants activated him from IR and kept DeVito in place as their starter. A three-year Bills starter, Taylor has certainly grown accustomed to teams making similar choices. Baker Mayfield replaced him early in the 2018 season, and a pregame injection mishap led to Justin Herbert‘s rise two years later. Davis Mills usurped Taylor with the Texans in 2021. DeVito represented the most unlikely candidate to jump Taylor on a depth chart, being a UDFA who had petitioned the NCAA for an extra year in college. That being denied led the ex-Illinois and Syracuse starter to the Big Apple.
Daboll initially did not let DeVito throw much once he replaced an injured Taylor against the Jets, but the second-year Giants HC soon loosened the reins. En route to a popularity surge, DeVito has quarterbacked the Giants to three wins. But he struggled in losses to the Saints and Eagles, taking sacks at a high rate as the Giants fell behind by multiple scores in each contest.
The Commanders’ decision to bench Sam Howell stands to be more important for the team’s post-2023 future. This DeVito benching does not affect a potential future starter. Jones has been expected to return as Big Blue’s starter for 2024, and the fifth-year veteran is aiming to recover from this ACL tear by training camp. That is not a lock, and GM Joe Schoen mentioned a QB addition as being necessary due to Jones’ injury.
It will be interesting to see how closely the Giants are linked to QB prospects in the draft, as Jones’ contract effectively ensures he will be a Giant in 2024. DeVito can be kept through 2026, via ERFA and RFA tenders, but this benching makes it a bit early to project that far ahead regarding the local product.
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