Tommy DeVito didn’t arrive in New England with much time to settle in. He was still with the Giants at this point last season, and the Patriots didn’t claim him until Aug.
- From there, he spent the year as the No. 3 quarterback behind Drake Maye and Joshua Dobbs, learning the offense mostly from the classroom and scout-team reps.
That has changed in Year 2.
Now the Patriots’ primary backup, DeVito is finally getting real work in the offense on the practice field, and the difference has shown up fast. He said the shift from just studying the system to actually running it has helped him grow in a big way.
“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.”
Over the past several training camp practices, DeVito has backed that up with his arm. He’s stood out with the second unit, including a string of deep throws that have turned heads.
On Friday in the intra-squad scrimmage, he hit DeMario Douglas for a completion of more than 40 yards downfield. In the two days since, he connected twice with Kyle Williams and then needed only one snap - a long touchdown to Mack Hollins along the right sideline - to finish a one-minute drill against the Indianapolis Colts.
Dell Pettus says the confidence is obvious.
“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 don’t want to need that version of DeVito this season. But having him ready as the backup matters, and he’s already lived through what that can look like. As a rookie, he was pushed up the depth chart and ended up winning 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.”
Vrabel has liked what he’s seen through the offseason program and 14 training camp practices, especially 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.”
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