Giants designate A QB Return from IR Ahead

On Monday morning, the quarterback Tyrod Taylor of the New York Giants was activated from injured reserve.

During the Giants’ Week 8 loss to the New York Jets, Taylor sustained a rib injury. He was running with the ball after catching his own deflected pass when he was injured. Tommy DeVito, a UDFA rookie, entered the game due to Taylor’s injury, and he has been the starter ever since Daniel Jones tore his ACL in Week 9.

While Jones was recovering from a neck injury he sustained earlier in the year, Taylor was starting. In relief of Jones, he performed admirably against the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Commanders, but an injury prevented him from recording more than a small sample size.

Taylor was given permission to return to the open, which allowed him to reenter the practice field without taking up a roster spot during his allotted 21 days. The Giants have confirmed that he will start working out on Monday. He hasn’t been activated off of the IR as of this writing. Head coach Brian Daboll was evasive when asked last week which quarterback—DeVito or Taylor—would start once Taylor was healthy.

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Health has been a major reason the New York Giants are only 4-8 this season, especially regarding the quarterback position. Starting ($160 million man) QB Daniel Jones battled a neck injury before a knee injury ended his 2023 campaign. Jones’ backup, Tyrod Taylor, went down after injuring his ribs against the Jets. While Jones won’t be back, Taylor is nearing a return to the roster, as he was designated to return off injured reserve on Monday morning, per Ian Rapoport.

Touted as one of the better backup QBs in the NFL, Taylor was initially supposed to be premium insurance in case Daniel Jones went down. The way things unfolded, the New York Giants needed to pivot from both. Still, Taylor, in his second year with New York’s NFC franchise, has played in seven games this season.

That includes three starts, one of which ended with a victory. Taylor’s season stat line includes 65.5% completion, 579 yards, no interceptions, and 98 rushing yards. By no means was he lighting it up, but his veteran presence did prevent the Giants offense (one of the NFL’s worst) from costing the team a win.

Will the New York Giants Have Tyrod Taylor Start Again?

Even with Tyrod Taylor back in the mix, there’s a solid chance that the New York Giants won’t have him start any of the final five games. For starters, New York has 21 days before they have to activate him onto the roster. There’s also the emergence (and massive popularity) of rookie gunslinger Tommy DeVito.

DeVito’s last two starts have been wins, where he’s thrown four touchdowns and no picks. His Jersey roots have made him an instant fan favorite, and his youth gives the Giants reason to give him more game reps. For a team not in contention, seeing what they have in DeVito makes more sense. Tyrod Taylor is healing up, but he may find himself as a backup again.