Tommy DeVito hoping he makes the cut: 'I want to be with the Giants'

Daniel Jones and Tommy DeVito took turns with the keys to the Giants’ offense at practice Thursday in advance of Saturday night’s preseason finale against the Jets. Brian Daboll wasn’t saying whether the starters will be playing after the lights come on across the way at MetLife Stadium.

It figures Jones, who played his first preseason game last Saturday at Houston after coming back from ACL surgery, will either be held out or play briefly, and that DeVito will get the keys for all or most of those quarterback snaps. Drew Lock will be available in an emergency as he recovers from hip and oblique injuries.

“I'm comfortable with where Daniel's at,” Daboll said of his play.

No matter what, this meaningless game has meaning to the man currently running third on the depth chart — DeVito.

The cut to 53 is coming next week and the Giants will have to decide whether to go with two quarterbacks or keep three.

DeVito, of course, was an engaging story last season. “Tommy Cutlets,” the undrafted free agent rookie and Jersey boy, got thrown in because of injuries and showed he could win.

Now he wants to stay for a sophomore season.

And there are a lot of reasons to think he will get to stay. But it’s a time of insecurity around the league.

“It's not my decision,” DeVito said. “It's not in my hands. So for me, it's just to continue every time I'm out on the field, show why I proved really to myself, first and foremost, that I belong somewhere in this NFL.

“Honestly, I want to be with the Giants. But when I'm out there on the field, I just continue to try to get out and get better each play and every day.”

Worried?

“I don't know if the word is ‘worried,’ ” DeVito said. “I think I've always carried confidence about myself.”

While he also said that "last year was last year,” DeVito played in nine games and went 3-3 as the starter. He became the first undrafted free agent rookie dating to 1970 to post three straight games with a 100-plus passer rating. He was the first Giant to accomplish the feat since a guy named Eli Manning in 2014.

Jones’ injury history and Lock’s injury problems — he has yet to return to team reps in practice since getting hurt late in the first quarter of the preseason opener vs. Detroit — may make the Giants want to carry three quarterbacks.

Also, the Giants have put a lot into developing DeVito. The 26-year-old Syracuse and Illinois alum could get claimed if they place him on waivers with an eye toward bringing him back with the practice squad, where he started out last season.

And then there’s this:

Asked how much more improved and more comfortable he feels after last season’s experiences, DeVito said, “A ton. There's nothing like game reps, especially for a quarterback. Practice is good and all, but it's a little different when you're able to get hit, especially being in game situations and really dealing with them.

“ . . . So to have that under my belt, which not a lot of people get to have, let alone a rookie, I'm very grateful for that experience that I had. It definitely helped me now, especially between the ears.”

Jalin Hyatt sees the difference.

“Tommy DeVito, he’s a confident, confident player, a confident quarterback,” the second-year receiver said. “I’m really, really surprised how much he has gotten better. It just goes to all the games he has played, what he has done so far.

“I’m proud of him. Not only that, he’s going to continue to get better and continue to keep making plays.”

Last season, DeVito completed 64% of his passes — 114-for-178 — good for 1,101 yards and eight touchdowns. He was intercepted only three times.

During a three-start winning streak, he threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns vs. Washington, fired for 191 yards and a TD vs. New England and went 17-for-21 for 158 yards and a TD and ran for 71 yards vs. Green Bay — and was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

“The sky’s the limit for him,” Hyatt said.

For now, DeVito will settle for a roster spot.

Notes & quotes: Daboll is enthused about his four top receivers, Hyatt, first-round pick Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson. “I like that they're fast and quick,” Daboll said . . . Daboll on the Jets’ Sauce Gardner waving goodbye after Wednesday’s joint practice: “I think we'd be doing the same thing if we capitalized on a couple of those opportunities down the field.”