What more can a quarterback do to prove he belongs? When a player just completes one of the sharpest runs of August football you’ll ever see, yet Brian Daboll is preparing to cut him anyway. Tommy DeVito just wrapped up his preseason, completing 17-of-20 passes, shredding New England with three touchdowns in front of a roaring MetLife crowd. The ovation was goosebump-inducing, the kind usually reserved for legends, not for a roster-bubble QB. Yet under the surface of all that celebration, the Giants’ quarterback room is now staring at one of those cold, unforgiving truths that define the NFL.

Because for all of DeVito’s feel-good moments, reality is pressing in. Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen have built out one of the league’s most crowded depth charts at the position: Russell Wilson entrenched as QB1, rookie Jaxson Dart emerging as the future, and Jameis Winston. As per ESPN’s Jordan Ranaan, “The Giants aren’t interested in trading the veteran Winston, who they value as a player and leader.” In the same roster projection, he also noted, “Tommy DeVito is the odd man out even though he’s a capable backup.”

Giants insiders confirmed this week that Daboll’s staff finalized its first wave of cuts—including veterans like WR Zach Pascal and center Jimmy Morrissey—but the biggest headline is the impending quarterback decision. Multiple reports (via Art Stapleton) confirm the team is keeping Wilson, Dart, and Winston intact, leaving DeVito as the odd man out. The 26-year-old Jersey native, who once surged into the spotlight as an undrafted folk hero, is expected to be released ahead of Monday’s 53-man deadline, unless the Giants maneuver a practice squad spot or a late trade partner.

It’s brutal timing. DeVito’s 2025 preseason line: 30-of-38, 323 yards, four touchdowns, just one interception. He looked better than he did in stretches of real regular-season action a year ago. “Every time I go out on the field, you never know if it’s going to be your last,” DeVito admitted Thursday, his words carrying a weight fans could feel in the upper decks. That raw honesty, combined with his tape, may be why more than a few front offices are placing calls this weekend.

Brian Daboll’s roster trimming reaches beyond QB spotlight

The DeVito storyline overshadows what was otherwise a standard trimming process for the Giants, who let go of eight names Friday. Among them: WR Montrell Washington, who actually posted the team’s highest PFF grade among receivers this preseason (73.9), and WR Zach Pascal, who had a strong summer on paper but lacked special teams contributions. CB O’Donnell Fortune, center Jimmy Morrissey, and ILBs K.J. Cloyd and Dyontae Johnson also didn’t survive the squeeze.

Brian Daboll was clear that these calls, even expected ones, never get easier. “They put so much time and effort into being the best they can be to try to make a roster,” Daboll said postgame. “Unfortunately, you can only keep a certain amount… these next couple of days are tough. This is a relationship business.” That candid remark underscores how the NFL calendar gets colder right as the summer highs peak.

For New York, the deeper story in these decisions is philosophical. The Giants believe strongly in investing behind Russell Wilson, both with Dart—a potential franchise QB if he develops—and Winston, who isn’t just insurance but a locker-room stabilizer. Assistant GM Brandon Brown addressed Winston’s status earlier in the week: “We’re not looking to trade him.” Which seems to be an old narrative now.

However, Alex Wilson of Empire Sports Media noted, “Everyone is talking about Jameis Winston being traded, I think the guy the Giants end up trading is Tommy DeVito. He’s been excellent this preseason and 100% would not survive on the practice squad. Could 100% see the Giants moving him for some draft capital.” Notably, DeVito has proven his worth with his preseason work, so sitting him out on the practice squad would be a total waste of his skills.

It’s also a reminder that preseason is theater without guarantees. Fans can roar, depth players can transcend, stats can glisten as they did on DeVito’s sheet—but rosters aren’t built on applause. They’re cold equations balancing cap, future plans, and positional needs. Still, even in being cut, DeVito gave Giants fans something few preseason nights ever deliver: nostalgia in the present tense. If this goodbye felt special, maybe it’s because everyone in the building sensed it might be just that.