Patriots sign perfect Drake Maye backup QB: Tommy DeVito

Billy Heyen

Patriots sign perfect Drake Maye backup QB: Tommy DeVito image

The New England Patriots saw an opportunity given to them by the New York Giants.

The Giants had too many quarterbacks, and so on the NFL's roster cutdown day Tuesday, they let Tommy DeVito go.

The Patriots claimed DeVito on waivers on Wednesday to join their quarterback room.

There's no question that Drake Maye is QB1 in New England. But now Josh Dobbs has competition for the backup job.

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DeVito makes perfect sense as an addition. He moves around with much of the same mobility as Maye, and he's 27 years old, with time to learn the offense and prove a reliable understudy to the second-year QB Maye.

The Giants kept Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Jaxson Dart, so they couldn't keep DeVito.

He did his best to prove his worth this month. In the Giants' final preseason game, DeVito went 15-for-17 passing for 184 yards and three touchdowns.

"There is a spot for him in this league," wrote ESPN's Jordan Raanan on X.

That spot is now in New England.

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DeVito spent his college career at Syracuse and then Illinois.

In the NFL, he has started eight games and has a 3-5 record.

DeVito has completed a solid 65.3% of his regular season pass attempts while throwing eight touchdowns compared to three interceptions. He has also run 44 times for 227 yards and another TD.

This is a legitimate backup quarterback. DeVito may not be QB2 in Week 1 as he learns the offense. But he's got a great shot to stick with the Pats for the long haul.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle