Numbers suggest Tommy DeVito won't give Giants needed spark this season

Shortly after New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll confirmed he was benching now former New York quarterback Daniel Jones in favor of Tommy DeVito, Daboll said he felt DeVito could give the 2-8 club a needed "spark" after the 26-year-old won three of his first four starts as an undrafted rookie last season.

For a piece published Friday, Seth Walder of ESPN explained why fans shouldn't expect DeVito to emerge as a franchise savior when the Giants host the 4-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday. 

"DeVito's numbers were not inspiring," Walder wrote about the quarterback's play across the first nine regular-season games of his pro career. "He recorded a paltry 24 QBR, had a minus-4% completion percentage over expectation, per NFL Next Gen Stats, and a completely outrageous 16% sack rate (the average sack rate last season was 7%)." 

According to ESPN stats, Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns began Friday ranked last in the NFL among qualified players with a 22.5 adjusted QBR for the ongoing campaign. Will Levis of the Tennessee Titans has the league's second-worst adjusted QBR (32.7). 

Speculation continues to hover over the Giants regarding why Daboll is playing DeVito against Tampa Bay after Drew Lock, 28, previously served as Jones' primary backup. While Daboll reportedly believes DeVito gives the Giants the best chance to win at MetLife Stadium this weekend, others think the club is featuring the New Jersey native in a home game to give fans a reason to flock to East Rutherford for a contest they may have otherwise skipped. 

As a rookie, DeVito completed 64% of 178 passes for 1,101 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He also rushed for 195 yards and a score on 36 carries. To compare, Lock has accumulated a 9-14 record as a starter and has attempted 794 career regular-season passes. Thus, one could believe Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen truly want to see how DeVito has developed from where he was in January of this year. 

It's also worth noting that Lock has been with the Giants since March and is quite familiar with the offense. He easily could take over as New York's QB1 on a short week for the Thanksgiving Day game at the rival Dallas Cowboys if DeVito either endures a nightmare outing versus Tampa Bay or goes down with an injury. 

For now, the Giants have little to lose in giving "Tommy Cutlets" a shot to prove his long-term worth to the franchise this Sunday.