As the Bucs watch the tape and prepare for their next game against the New York Giants, they’ll have to keep in mind that the quarterback they are watching on tape is not who they’ll be playing against. Reports have come out from Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport that the Giants are going to bench quarterback Daniel Jones and replace him with backup Tommy DeVito. New York also has Drew Lock as a backup but decided to go with the young quarterback who started six games last season.

Former Bucs OLB Shaquil Barrett and Giants QB Daniel Jones – Photo by: USA Today

The benching of Jones comes after another down season. He and the Giants have a 2-8 record on the season as he’s completed 63.3 percent of passes, throwing for 2,070 yards (6.1 yards per attempt) eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. Jones has had many back-breaking plays that have cost the Giants in games.

The main reason for the move, though, all has to do with Jones’ contract. He signed a four-year, $160 million contract two seasons ago and has not lived up to it. The Giants could cut him after this season and take a $22 million cap hit in 2025 but not owe him any money after.

It’s evident that it hasn’t worked out with Jones at quarterback after six seasons and a 24-44-1 record. From a business perspective, it makes total sense to keep Jones out, save the money and draft a quarterback this offseason.

What Should Bucs Expect Facing Tommy DeVito?

While the news is unfortunate for Jones specifically, the Bucs won’t be dwelling on it as they get ready for Tommy DeVito. This will be the first start of the season for DeVito, who played in nine games last year, starting six and going 3-3. DeVito quickly became a fan favorite and a highly publicized figure among the national media due to him being a hometown guy. He grew up in Livingston, New Jersey, which is very close to the Giants facility. Because of his heavy New Jersey accent, fans grew a liking to him for being the local football player and resembling accents heard by the iconic HBO television show “The Sopranos” which also took place in New Jersey.

Giants QB Tommy DeVito – Photo by: USA Today

DeVito quickly capitalized on newly discovered fame, growing his popularity by making appearances at pizza shops and discussing how his mom made great sauce and chicken cutlets for their Italian dinners. He ended up getting the nickname “Tommy Cutlets.” His play on the field got better as well.

DeVito threw for 1,101 yards with eight touchdowns and just three interceptions. DeVito’s signature win came against the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football in the Meadowlands as the Giants won 24-22.

Though DeVito took care of the football and helped guide the Giants to three wins last season, he doesn’t have the strongest of arms and typically won’t carve up an opponent. He only threw over 200 yards once in six games. The Giants also had the luxury of leaning on Saquon Barkley in the run game last year, but this time they don’t have him.

With that said, the Bucs are 31st in yards allowed per game and they’ve made a lot of quarterbacks look spectacular. It’s also important to point out that outside of the big win over the Packers, DeVito had losses to the Saints and Eagles when it comes to playing tougher competition.

Bucs Remain In The Playoff Race

Evan at 4-6, the Bucs still have a chance to reach the postseason for the fifth year in a row. That was helped out by the Falcons getting destroyed by the Broncos 38-6 on Sunday, putting the Bucs a game back of the Falcons but technically two because of the tiebreaker.

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby and DT Vita Vea – Photo by: USA Today

Regardless of who’s in at quarterback for the Giants, this is a game the Bucs should win and take advantage of down the stretch with the Panthers and Raiders coming up after. The Falcons have lost two in a row and have games coming up against the Chargers and Vikings next. That’s a great chance for the Bucs to get back into it.

If Tampa Bay has a shot to get back in, they need to correct their issues on the defensive side. There have been constant errors with miscommunications, poor tackling and a lack of turnovers. They’ve already started to make adjustments off of this, claiming Mike Edwards off of waivers, who comes back to Tampa after winning a Super Bowl with the Bucs earlier in his career.

Help could be on the way for the Bucs with hopefully a returning Jamel Dean at cornerback. The hope is to get wide receiver Mike Evans back on offense, too. The Bucs’ offense has been the strength of the team, but their passing game has gotten little production from receivers with Evans out. They’ll need help from everyone to make this playoff push.