Patriots Get New Drake Maye Backup QB as Traded Joe Milton Earns Cowboys Job

The New England Patriots new head coach Mike Vrabel must have really not liked the backup quarterback he inherited, Joe Milton III. In one of Vrabel’s early personnel moves, he shipped the 2024 sixth-round draft pick known for his cannon-like arm to the Dallas Cowboys for a fifth-round draft pick.

The move left journeyman Joshua Dobbs — on his sixth team in as many years — as the Patriots lone backup to starter Drake Maye, after New England signed Dobbs as a free agent in March.

Vrabel Takes First Chance to Acquire 3rd Quarterback

But Vrabel must not be all that happy with Dobbs either, after the 30-year-old completed just 16 of 28 passes for 151 yards in the Patriots’ preseason, because on Wednesday the Patriots added a new backup quarterback in a waiver acquisition.

That new backup, however, is a favorite of New York Giants fans, New Jersey native Tommy DeVito who played two seasons for his “hometown” team after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2023 out of Illinois.

Milton Proves Worthy of Dak Prescott Backup Job

Meanwhile, in Dallas, Milton played well enough in the preseason to secure the backup spot behind Dak Prescott, causing the Cowboys to cut veteran Will Grier.

Why the Patriots were hostile to the idea of Milton serving as Maye’s primary No. 2 remains somewhat unclear. After Milton was shipped to Dallas, reports began to appear in the Boston-area press claiming that Milton felt “entitled” to compete directly with Maye for the starter’s job.

After a backlash took hold in the Boston media, claiming that Maye was overly “sensitive” about competing with “Bazooka Joe” Milton, a report attributed to a Patriots insider characterized Milton as “not a good dude.”

DeVito Does Not Threaten Maye

Presumably in DeVito the Patriots quarterback hierarchy will not be threatened, if indeed it ever really was.

“The 27-year-old DeVito spent the last two seasons with the Giants. When he made his first NFL start in 2023, he was living in his childhood home with his parents,” reported The Boston Globe. “As a New Jersey native, DeVito became a fan favorite for his Italian roots and earned the nickname ‘Tommy Cutlets.'”

DeVito was cut on Tuesday by the Giants, who saw him as the fourth QB on their depth chart behind rookie first-round pick Jaxson Dart, and the veteran combination of Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.

But DeVito was expected to quickly latch on with another team, and that is exactly what happened. The Patriots who are positioned with the No. 4 priority for waiver wire claims, grabbed DeVito less than 24 hours after the Giants sent him packing.

Giants Beat New England Behind DeVito

In his two seasons with the Giants, DeVito started eight games, appearing in 12 altogether, with 145 completions in 222 attempts for 1,358 yards and eight touchdowns — though all of the TD throws came in 2023.

On November 26, 2023 in a Thanksgiving weekend game, DeVito led the Giants to a 10-7 win over the Patriots at MetLife Stadium. DeVito vastly outplayed the New England quarterback combo of Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, completing 17 of 25 for 191 yards and a touchdown.

The Giants victory contributed to the Patriots 4-13 record that season, giving them the No. 3 overall draft pick which they used to select Maye.

The Giants finished with six wins and the No. 6 pick, which gave them wide receiver Malik Nabers.