The Giants keep playing musical chairs with their quarterback depth chart.
And Brian Daboll’s explanations don’t exactly provide detailed reasons for why.
Drew Lock will start Sunday against the Saints after starting on Thanksgiving in the 27-20 loss to the Cowboys. Tommy DeVito will serve as Lock’s backup after missing the loss to the Cowboys with a forearm injury.
Lock got his chance to start that game because DeVito, who had started the previous week’s 30-7 loss to the Buccaneers, could not play. After Daniel Jones was benched following the Giants’ bye week, it was the third-stringer DeVito — not Lock — who was elevated to starter while Lock remained backup.
So if DeVito — who was a full participant in practice Thursday — is healthy enough to play, which the plan for him to be active and the backup suggests, why does he not return as the starter?
“[Lock] did some good things in Dallas,” Daboll said before practice Thursday. “We’re gonna give him an opportunity to have a full week of practice and go out there and play in a game. Tommy practiced [Wednesday], he’s better than he’s been, so he’ll be the No. 2.”
Wouldn’t that mean Lock has usurped DeVito on the depth chart after just one game played? How did that happen?
“We thought that Drew did some good things in Dallas,” Daboll repeated. “Gonna give him a full opportunity to go out there and compete again.”
WR Malik Nabers (groin) popped up on the injury report Thursday. He was a limited participant in practice. Nabers missed two games earlier this year due to a concussion.
LB Bobby Okereke (back), CB Deonte Banks (ribs) and DE Rakeem Nunez-Roches (neck/shoulder) did not practice Thursday. OL Jermaine Eluemunor (quad), OL Evan Neal (hip), DL D.J Davidson (shoulder), DE Jordon Riley (knee), S Tyler Nubin (knee) and S Dane Belton (hip) were limited.
WR Darius Slayton was named the Giants’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen tried to diagnose what’s behind the Giants’ tackling woes.
“I think staying on our feet,” Bowen said. “Making sure we’re staying on our feet, casting the net, not letting our feet die on contact. These runners are strong. If your feet die on contact, you end up falling off. So, trying to stay on our feet, get as many cleats in the ground as we can and keep these guys up. Whenever you’re trying to go to the ground to make a tackle, it’s probably not going to end well. Just basic technique and fundamentals in the open field, being able to close the space.”