“I’ve had a lot of prior coaches who have been a part of this organization before, [and] know a lot of the coaches and people in the business. So I’ve had a lot of good insight with that, and was really ready to get here.”
DeVito, a 6-foot-2-inch, 210-pounder with tri-state roots and an affinity for Italian cooking — former Giants running back Saquon Barkley was the first to nickname him “Tommy Cutlets” — gained a measure of fame with the Giants the last two seasons, coming off the bench to provide a boost.
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In his career with the Giants, the New Jersey native played in 12 games with eight starts, and had a 65 percent completion rate to go with 8 touchdown passes, 3 interceptions, and 1,358 passing yards. That included a 2023 win over the Patriots in which he threw for 191 yards and a touchdown.
In November 2023, Tommy DeVito threw for a touchdown and the Giants escaped with a win over the Patriots.
Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
In New England, DeVito will likely provide competition for Joshua Dobbs as the backups behind Drake Maye.
“I came from a really great organization with the Giants,” DeVito said. “Obviously the history between the Giants and the Patriots, and just those two organizations as a whole are, like, known as [being] superior to the rest.
“For me, I just want to be able to experience it, embrace it, and really live it and be here.”
DeVito, who will wear No. 16, faces a steep learning curve in getting up to speed in Josh McDaniels’s offense. But Thursday, DeVito noted that playing the last couple of years for Giants coach Brian Daboll — a former offensive position coach who worked with McDaniels for several seasons — gives him a head start.
“We had a little bit of conversation [Thursday], but it’s not too drastic from where I came from,” DeVito said of connecting with McDaniels. “Coach Daboll was with the Patriots in the past. Things have changed a little bit, but it’s not as far off as I thought it might have been. So we’re looking forward to getting in and just starting from the ground up and learning everything, and being able to hit the ground running.”
If DeVito is adept at picking up the offense, he could push Dobbs sooner rather than later. Dobbs appeared to stumble at times during the preseason, looking out of synch with some receivers. Asked if he was satisfied with Dobbs’s performance in camp and the preseason, coach Mike Vrabel said the addition of DeVito shouldn’t be seen as a referendum on Dobbs’s performance.
“Josh has settled down in the games,” Vrabel said Wednesday. “I think that there have been some mistakes, whether that was joint practice or practice, and we’re all going to have mistakes. Then being able to settle down in the games, perform, and operate.
“Each move that we’ll make may not be an indication of what the players are at that position. I think it’s just looking to strengthen the overall roster construction.”
DeVito’s New Jersey upbringing — and the fact that he lived at home with his parents in Cedar Grove — made him a celebrity with Giants fans. He was one of the best stories to come out of MetLife Stadium over the last two seasons, achieving cult-hero status in part because he went from being an undrafted free agent with local ties to starting in the NFL.
But now that he’s in New England, he said some things will change, including the fact that his mother won’t be making the trek north.
“I’ve learned there are a lot of Italians in the area. Social media is a pretty crazy thing,” DeVito said with a smile. “But no, my mother will not be coming to live with me, so I’ll be alone again.
“But I hear there’s a lot of good Italian food, so I’m looking forward to trying it out and embracing all the culture around here.”
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.
Dining and Cooking