The Patriots might be gearing up for a quarterback competition this summer. Unlike previous seasons, this competition won’t be for the starting position, but rather for the backup spot.
As of today, July 27, the Patriots backup quarterback is former Giant Tommy DeVito. DeVito was brought in by the Patriots last season after being the odd man out in a loaded Giants quarterback room. He was the Patriots emergency third quarterback for all twenty-one games.
This offseason, the team cut 2025 backup Joshua Dobbs and awarded DeVito with a 2-year contract. Despite the extension, the team drafted former Texas Tech starter Behren Morton in the seventh round.
Morton was the Red Raiders starter for four years and totaled 8989 passing yards and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 71:28 throughout his time in college. Morton suffered many injuries in his collegiate career but was able to play through most of them.
We have yet to see a fully healthy season out of Morton, which is very intriguing. This season could be just that for Morton, and although the rookie is unlikely to play this season, he is feeling great.
“Body’s great," Morton told reporters on May 9. “This is the healthiest I’ve been in a really long time. My shoulder hasn’t been this good since high school.”
So far throughout camp, Morton has had just four fewer pass attempts than DeVito, which is a change from last year's Quarterback two to Quarterback three workload. Last summer, Ben Wooldridge, the team’s third stringer, went multiple practices at a time without seeing a single 11-on-11 rep.
It would be one thing if Morton was just getting opportunities, but he is also taking advantage of those opportunities. CLNS beat reporter Taylor Kyles praised Morton’s pocket presence and awareness.
“Behren Morton’s poise in the pocket has stood out the past two days,” Kyles wrote on X. “Got quick pressure at the top of his drop, stepped up to scramble, then saw his outlet and hit Myles Montgomery underneath.”
Morton’s two good days aren’t going to win him the job; however, he might not need to “blow the socks off” the team, as DeVito isn’t necessarily a top-of-the-line backup quarterback.
DeVito ranked twenty-eighth in Sports Illustrated's “Top 32 backup quarterback rankings,” and hasn’t played a down of football since 2024. While the ranking is not the end-all, be-all, the former Illinois quarterback wasn’t good enough to make the Giants’ initial 53-man roster.
While it’s not the headline of camp, this competition could be a fun thing to look out for throughout the rest of the summer.