Tommy DeVito has settled into a backup role with the Patriots, and Mike Vrabel has already given him a new nickname to match the moment. Before Tuesday’s practice, Vrabel started calling him “Two Chains,” a nod to the two gold chains DeVito says he never takes off.
That is the latest turn for a 28-year-old quarterback who was claimed on waivers by the Patriots last summer and slotted in as the third-string option. He now looks more like a steady depth piece than a camp body, and the shift has given his search appeal a clear answer: he is not fighting for a headline so much as for a place in the room.
DeVito said Vrabel first called him “Cutlets,” then changed it after seeing the jewelry. “And then he saw me wearing two gold chains that I always have on. I never take them off, and that turned into ‘Two Chains,’” DeVito said. “That’s good, and that’s how it is throughout the building now.” The nickname fits the mood around him, but his work is doing more than the label. At Tuesday’s practice, he went 11 for 16 in 11-on-11 work and 2 for 6 in seven-on-sevens, including a touchdown strike to Mack Hollins that traveled roughly 50 yards.
Those numbers followed a strong intrasquad scrimmage last week, when DeVito finished 13 for 16 with two touchdowns to DeMario Douglas. Vrabel said he continues to learn in the new system and has “done a nice job,” while Dell Pettus said the talent has always been there and called him fantastic. That kind of praise matters because DeVito’s path has never been linear. He appeared in 12 games for the Giants in 2023 and 2024, started eight of them and was once moved from No. 3 to starter in a matter of weeks. He said that experience taught him early to prepare like a starter, even when the depth chart says otherwise.
The question now is whether the Patriots keep him in this more stable backup lane once preseason evaluations and roster calls tighten. For now, DeVito is answering it with reps, efficiency and a nickname that came from the chains he wears every day.
