Tommy DeVito was a member of the New York Giants at this time last season. The quarterback did not join New England until Aug. 27, when the Patriots claimed him off waivers.
DeVito went on to spend all season as a third-stringer behind starter Drake Maye and veteran backup Joshua Dobbs. While DeVito learned New England’s offense behind the scenes, his work on the practice field came in scout-team situations.
Now elevated to the primary backup in Year 2, DeVito has finally gotten on-field practice experience
in the offense and seen tremendous growth in his game since this spring.
“It’s a different world,” DeVito said. “It’s one thing to be in the classroom and be in it and learn and everything, but it’s another thing to get reps in it. Because last year, I didn’t get reps in the offense. My first reps were during OTAs (this year). So to be able to actually take everything from the classroom and bring it to the field and physically feel mistakes, that’s personally how I learn my best.”
The results are showing on the practice fields as well. Over the last several training camp practices, DeVito has impressed operating the second-team offense, highlighted by a handful of perfectly thrown deep balls.
In Friday’s intra-squad scrimmage, DeVito found DeMario Douglas downfield for a 40-plus-yard completion. The last two days, he connected twice with Kyle Williams and needed just one throw — a long touchdown to Mack Hollins down the right sideline — to find the end zone in his one-minute drill against the Indianapolis Colts.
“The talent always been there but he’s just in a flow state right now,” safety Dell Pettus said of DeVito. “Like, he looks fantastic. I love practicing against him. When you practice against like two great quarterbacks, two quarterbacks who are very talented, it makes you better and makes the defense better because you know you have to be at the top of your game.”
The Patriots ultimately hope they don’t need to see DeVito uncork it downfield this season. But having a strong insurance plan behind Maye is valuable, something DeVito experienced firsthand as a rookie when he was elevated up the depth chart and went on to win three straight games.
“That whole prepare like a starter thing was very real to me my rookie year when I was young,” DeVito said. “So I treated that as such whether you’re the two or the three, because even two years ago when I was in New York, I was the three one week, and then the next week, I was starting. You’ve always got to stay ready. So I just keep that mindset.”
Through the offseason program and 14 training camp practices, his head coach likes what he’s seen from the quarterback who wears two gold chains.
“2 Chains is doing a nice job,” Vrabel said Tuesday morning. “He continues to learn, and with it being a new system, I think it got his attention a little bit better, as opposed to saying, ‘Hey, I know what this is,’ and kind of taking it for granted. I think he’s really done a nice job.”
