Giants to start Tyrod Taylor over Tommy DeVito at quarterback vs. Rams
Tyrod Taylor of the Giants throws a pass against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 22, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Credit: Jim McIsaac
It’s Tyrod’s time, again.
Coach Brian Daboll told reporters on Wednesday morning that Tyrod Taylor will start against the Rams on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
The move sends Tommy DeVito, the undrafted rookie who has made the last six starts, to the backup role.
The Rams are in playoff contention. The Giants are not. If the Rams defeat the Giants, their playoff likelihood will be 87 percent, according to NFL.com.
Daboll said of Taylor, who is 34 and a 13-year veteran: "He earned the right to start this game."
Taylor said getting to start again “means everything to me.”
“I’ve been playing this game for a long time,” he said, “and anytime I get a chance to lace up the cleats and go out and compete means the world to me. That’s where I'm the happiest, and it's what I love to do.”
Taylor is on an expiring contract and, in talking to reporters during the Giants bye week earlier this month, general manager Joe Schoen dismissed Taylor, noting only that his contract is up at season’s end.
For DeVito, there was disappointment. His run of six consecutive starts has ended. The Giants went 3-3 in those games.
“I’m going to continue to be a good teammate,” he said. “Obviously, it's a coaches’ decision. I have no say or anything in that, but I’m going to continue to be a good teammate, go out and compete. That’s it.”
Daboll benched DeVito at halftime on Christmas day in Philadelphia, with the Giants trailing, 20-3. Taylor engineered a second-half comeback. The final play of the game was a 26-yard pass intended for Saquon Barkley that was intercepted in the end zone and the Giants lost, 33-25.
“I thought Ty did some good things in the second half of Philly, so I thought he earned the right to start this game,’’ Daboll said. “Get ready for the Rams, really have nothing else to add on it. That’s where we’re at.’’
DeVito completed nine of 16 passes for only 55 yards on Christmas Day. They had only 101 yards of total offense in the first half. Taylor was 7-for-16 passing for 133 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown to Darius Slayton. Taylor also ran twice for 21 yards.
DeVito won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award after he led the Giants past the Packers on Dec. 11. Since then, the rookie has a quarterback rating of 69.7 with neither a touchdown nor an interception.
Taylor has bounced around in his NFL career. The Giants are the sixth team he’s played for.
“It’s not a me thing," Taylor said. "It's a team sport, and I'm excited for our guys to go out for these last two weeks to put our best foot forward and to compete at a high level. Regardless of playoffs or not, there’s always something to play for and that's the mindset that we’ve got to have.”
Meanwhile, DeVito was clearly disappointed but vowed to stay even keeled through it all.
“Never too high, never too low because like I said, when you’re up, everybody loves you,” DeVito said. “When you’re down, everybody hates you. So, for me, it’s just stay even throughout it all. That’s why I’ll be mellow and good through it all.”
The Giants currently have only two quarterbacks under contract for next season, DeVito and starter Daniel Jones, who sustained a neck injury in 2023 and, after working his way back, tore his ACL, ending his season.
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
