The backup quarterback position is quietly one of the most important in football. NFL teams have learned that the hard way in 2023 as a wave of injuries has hit starting quarterbacks.
The Giants and Daniels Jones were the latest to learn this lesson the hard way. They are now set to start their third-string quarterback with Jones and Tyrod Taylor out of action.
Rookie Tommy DeVito was tapped to replace Jones over veteran Matt Barkley in what is a significant development. Why? Because his starting will set a record for the most rookie quarterbacks to start in a singular season.
MORE: Giants QB depth chart without Daniel Jones
NFL rookie QBs to start 2023
Through nine weeks, the 2023 NFL season had tied the record for the most rookie quarterbacks to make a start during the season, which currently stands at a total of nine from the 2019 season.
Those who have taken the field to this point are Tyson Bagent (Chicago Bears), CJ Stroud (Houston Texans), Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts), Will Levis (Tennessee Titans), Aidan O'Connell (Las Vegas Raiders), Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Cleveland Browns), Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers), Clayton Tune (Arizona Cardinals) and Jaren Hall (Minnesota Vikings).
The Giants officially naming DeVito their Week 10 starter will, appropriately, bring the rookie starting quarterback total to 10. That will mark a new record.
The main things that have factored into so many first-year quarterbacks seeing the field so early on come down to a combination of unexpected injury to the starter, as would be the case with DeVito, and the pairing between a quarterback-hungry league and one of the deepest draft classes at signal-caller across recent history (see the situations with the Texans and Panthers, especially).
Here's a look at where each of those signal-callers stands through nine weeks. Several could have an opportunity to become long-term NFL starters, a product of one of the biggest NFL quarterback draft classes ever.
| Name | GP | Comp | Att | Yards | TD | INT |
| Tyson Bagent | 4 | 74 | 110 | 697 | 3 | 6 |
| CJ Stroud | 8 | 173 | 279 | 2,270 | 14 | 1 |
| Anthony Richardson | 4 | 50 | 84 | 577 | 3 | 1 |
| Will Levis | 2 | 41 | 68 | 500 | 4 | 1 |
| Aidan O'Connell | 3 | 50 | 77 | 522 | 1 | 2 |
| Dorian Thompson-Robinson | 3 | 20 | 37 | 130 | 0 | 3 |
| Bryce Young | 7 | 161 | 252 | 1,375 | 8 | 7 |
| Clayton Tune | 2 | 12 | 21 | 62 | 0 | 2 |
| Jaren Hall | 2 | 8 | 10 | 101 | 0 | 0 |
MORE: Inside the Giants' complicated future at QB after Daniel Jones tears ACL
Revisiting the 2019 NFL rookie QBs
The 2019 season saw a total of nine rookie quarterbacks start between David Blough (Cleveland Browns), Ryan Finley (Cincinnati Bengals), Will Grier (Carolina Panthers), Dwayne Haskins (Washington Commanders), Devlin Hodges (Pittsburgh Steelers), Gardner Minshew II (Jacksonville Jaguars), Drew Lock (Denver Broncos), Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals) and, ironically enough, Jones as well (New York Giants).
Murray was obviously the most successful out of this crop, though some other names on the list showed strong backup potential with some starting ability. Murray, originally selected at first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, has been dealing with injury himself as Tune takes the reins for the meantime until he is at full capacity.
Curiously, both Murray and Tune come from Air Raid types of offense in college. With the Cardinals under Kliff Kingsbury, Murray ran another version of the Air Raid, showing some signs that these two could pair well together as mentor and mentee.
| Name | GP | Comp | Att | Yards | TD | INT |
| David Blough | 5 | 94 | 174 | 984 | 4 | 6 |
| Ryan Finley | 3 | 41 | 87 | 474 | 2 | 2 |
| Will Grier | 2 | 28 | 52 | 228 | 0 | 4 |
| Dwayne Haskins | 9 | 119 | 203 | 1,365 | 7 | 7 |
| Devlin Hodges | 8 | 100 | 160 | 1,063 | 5 | 8 |
| Daniel Jones | 13 | 284 | 459 | 3,027 | 24 | 12 |
| Drew Lock | 5 | 100 | 156 | 1,020 | 7 | 3 |
| Gardner Minshew II | 14 | 285 | 470 | 3,271 | 21 | 6 |
| Kyler Murray | 16 | 349 | 542 | 3,722 | 20 | 12 |
Who is Tommy DeVito?
DeVito suited up for Illinois throughout his college career, consistently a name of intrigue, though he never garnered much national attention.
He was originally signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2023 after going unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft. He was waived on August 29, 2023, later re-signed to the practice squad.
He saw action in his first NFL game October 29, 2023 against the New York Jets, taking the place of an injured Tyrod Taylor. He was 2-for-7 passing and was sacked twice, but was also responsible for the only touchdown of the day on a six-yard run.
He became a member of the team's active roster on Oct. 31. DeVito finished out his career at Illinois with a 63.1% completion rate, 6,516 passing yards, 43 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.