The New York Giants head into their Week 13 bye week with a two-game win streak. The Giants’ recent development would be excellent for Big Blue if their record were at least 4-8.
It would be an understatement to say that this season has been disappointing, especially after last season’s playoff berth. As of Week 13, the Giants have started their third quarterback since the start of the season.
Tommy DeVito, New Jersey native and third-string QB, has started for the Giants since their Week 10 loss to the Cowboys. DeVito has been serviceable for what he’s been asked to do: be a game manager and limit the number of offensive turnovers.
His overall TD-INT ratio of 8:3 is impressive for an undrafted rookie playing behind a makeshift offensive line. DeVito’s satisfactory performance is in stark contrast to Daniel Jones’ starts during the 2023 season.
After a four-year, $160 million contract extension in the offseason, Daniel Jones played the worst football of his five-year NFL career before his season-ending knee injury during an eventual Week 9 loss against the Raiders.
Jones had a 2:6 TD-INT ratio and a QBR of 38 in 2023, both career lows. The veteran QB from Duke had to play without his All-Pro left tackle, Andrew Thomas, for most of his starts. As a result of being out of playoff contention, a portion of the Giants fanbase wants the team to tank, which means intentionally losing games to get a better draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
This move would be difficult because the Giants don’t have a roster that’s as bad as some of the worst teams in the league, like the Panthers and Patriots. The G-Men also have multiple potential Pro Bowlers on defense, including Dexter Lawerence, Bobby Okereke and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
The Giants have the least passing yards in the NFL this season, but they have a roster that’s too good to tank. This is a frustrating situation for the fanbase, but the team can find a replacement for Daniel Jones outside of the top three picks in the draft.
It’s difficult for many fans to see a path to future success without a top pick in the draft, but many championship-caliber teams were built without using a top-ten pick on a QB. The 49ers and the Ravens are some recent examples, as both teams focused on their overall roster quality and then used a pick outside of the first round to draft their franchise QBs.
Ultimately, GM Joe Schoen’s job is to surround the Giants’ next QB with the best roster possible. With two second-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Giants can use their draft capital to find their signal-caller of the future.
