Giants GM Joe Schoen on Why Team Will Keep Three Quarterbacks This Year

Keeping three quarterbacks is no longer a luxury for teams like the New York Giants.

Jul 24, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Drew Lock (2) and quarterback Tommy DeVito (15) look on during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Facility. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Once upon a time, keeping three quarterbacks on an NFL roster was a luxury that most teams couldn’t afford to do. The reasons varied, but usually, it was because a team had injuries coming out of training camp that necessitated “stealing” from one spot to fortify another.

That’s no longer the case, thanks partly to the new IR rule that allowed teams at the final cutdown date to place up to two players on IR with a designation to return rather than lose them for the year. 

But more importantly, given the influx of injuries at the quarterback position around the NFL, most teams, including the New York Giants, are starting to go with three quarterbacks.  

“[Head coach Brian Daboll]  and I were at the owners meeting in March … backup quarterbacks took almost 2,500 more snaps last year than in the past,’ said Giants general manager Joe Schoen, who confirmed that the plan was for the Giants to carry three quarterbacks on the roster this year.

“There's always been some injuries with quarterbacks as is,” he continued. “ I think it is the way things went last year.”

Schoen and the Giants ought to know. Last season, Daniel Jones and backup Tyrod Taylor were placed on injured reserve, forcing the team to call up undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito to carry the team for a handful of games.

That experience and Jones's injury history have led the Giants to protect themselves at their most vulnerable and important position. 

Schoen said the team’s brass has been pleased with the progress made by the team’s three quarterbacks—Jones, Drew Lock, and DeVito—this summer.

“They've continued to progress, get better,” he said. “Drew just arrived here. His ability to pick up the offense and execute the offense through camp.

“Daniel, early on–there was a little bit of rust. I thought he picked it up and had a good camp.” 

This season is a pivotal one for the Giants quarterbacks. Jones will receive the last of the guaranteed money in his four-year contract extension this coming season, while both Lock’s and DeVito’s respective contracts end after this year.

If Jones should falter in the coming year, the team could potentially be looking at starting all over again at the position, as the odds of their retaining all three quarterbacks if the season goes south aren’t strong.

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