Coach Brian Daboll and players met with the media earlier this week ahead of Thursday's game in Dallas.
Here are five things we learned:
DeVito dealing with right forearm injury
Tommy DeVito started his first regular-season game in nearly 11 months last week when he started under center against the Buccaneers. The second-year quarterback completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 189 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions while adding seven rush attempts for an additional 32 yards (4.6 avg.). After being sacked four times and hit a few more on Sunday, DeVito was listed as a limited participant in Tuesday's walkthrough due to a right forearm injury. The plan is for him to play, but Daboll said it isn't 100 percent certain that the quarterback will be able to suit up against the Cowboys.
"Sore," DeVito told the media Tuesday. "My whole body's kind of sore. First time playing in a while, took a couple shots. It's not even 48 hours, so things are still kind of just settling in."
He added, "The plan is to play, yeah. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. Hopefully wake up feeling a little bit better after I get some more treatment today. Looking forward to tomorrow."
The young quarterback is no stranger to playing at AT&T Stadium, as DeVito's first career start as an undrafted free agent last season came in Dallas. He completed only 51.9 percent of his passes that day, but threw for two touchdowns and added another 41 yards on the ground. DeVito believes he has grown a lot since that first start, and told the media he's looking forward to getting another chance to play in Dallas, this time on Thanksgiving.
"I mean I've said it week in and week out a lot mentally, but so much has happened from then," DeVito said. "That was my first start. A little nervous, a little going into it, so I've kind of been around the block now, kind of played in that stadium before, in that crowd. Obviously, Thanksgiving's a little bit different, but I look forward to another challenge."
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Lock staying ready
Drew Lock would get the start if DeVito is unable to go. Due to the short week, the Giants participated in walkthrough practices on Monday and Tuesday. Nonetheless, Daboll said he was going to make sure Lock got some snaps with the starting offense Tuesday in case he's called to start Thursday's game.
"I'm going to give Drew a few snaps here and see," Daboll said on Tuesday. "We'll go ahead and we've got a lot of time on task with the walkthroughs, the stuff that we've put in. We just had one earlier, but I'm going to give Drew a few of those. But if Tommy's good, then Tommy would be the guy."
Lock started two games for Seattle last season, including a comeback win over the Eagles on Monday Night Football, and completed 68.8 percent of his passes for 477 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.
"Always got to be ready," Lock told reporters. "No matter what the week, no matter what the situation is, just playing like you're going to go in there and play. My mindset didn't change this week, and we'll see how the rest of the week shakes out."
Daboll 'optimistic' about Neal playing
Making his 2024 debut in the Week 10 game against the Panthers in Munich, right tackle Evan Neal put together one of his better performances as a Giant. Neal allowed just one total pressure on 43 pass blocking snaps while also making a positive impact in the run game. The third-year tackle once again got the start in Week 12 against the Buccaneers and surrendered two total pressures, including one sack. While Neal was listed as a non-participant in Monday's walkthrough practice, he was upgraded to limited on Tuesday. Daboll expressed optimism that Neal will be ready to go on the short week.
"He'll be on the injury report, it's his hip," the head coach said before Tuesday's walkthrough. "I'd say I'm optimistic that he should be ready to go. It's a little bit harder, obviously, with not doing much. I think he should be ready to go."
While the Giants received positive news with Neal, the outlook wasn't as good for the team's other starting tackle. Veteran Jermaine Eluemunor, who shifted from left to right tackle with Neal's return to the starting lineup, injured his quad early in Sunday's game and was unable to return. Eluemunor did not participate in the walkthrough practices on Monday or Tuesday, but Daboll said they will take it up to game day before making a decision on the tackle.
"Just take it and let it go all the way up to the game time to see where they're at," Daboll said about Eluemunor and defensive lineman Armon Watts, who also did not practice on Monday or Tuesday.
Preparing for 'aggressive' Cowboys defense
Heading into Week 13, the Cowboys' defense ranks 31st in points and 27th in yards allowed on the year. However, injuries have played a significant role in those rankings. Dallas lost both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence in the first meeting against the Giants, and while Parsons has recently returned, Lawrence is still on injured reserve. Meanwhile, All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland just made his season debut last week.
"They've got Bland back, Micah is back," said Lock. "So, if they had injuries, they don't have them anymore. They've got their guys back, played well last week. Flying around. Aggressive defense. It's a good spot, it's a good defense. Got to go out there and play our A game. Move the ball, go down there and score points in the red zone. Just be ready for a fight."
The return of Parsons has already provided the Dallas defense with a big boost. The three-time Pro Bowl linebacker has recorded two sacks in two of the three games he's played since returning from his ankle injury, while adding a forced fumble. The Cowboys' defense has forced six turnovers since Parsons returned to the lineup, including three last week against the Commanders.
"Versatility," Lock said about what makes Parsons so good. "Explosive off the edge. They can move him inside, do a three. When you get a d-lineman that can play multiple positions and produce, that makes it something that you've got to look at, you've got to be ready for."
Azeez to IR; Giants claim TE Greg Dulcich
The Giants placed outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari on injured reserve Tuesday. In a corresponding move, the team claimed tight end Greg Dulcich off waivers from the Denver Broncos.
When Kayvon Thibodeaux was put on injured reserve following the team's Week 5 win in Seattle, Ojulari stepped into the starting lineup and picked up five sacks over the following three games.
The fourth-year outside linebacker has registered six sacks, seven tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits, and one fumble recovery to go with his 28 total tackles (12 solo) in 11 games (five starts).
The Broncos selected Dulcich in the third round (No. 80 overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end played in 16 games with 10 starts over the last three seasons.
His career totals include 41 receptions for 464 yards and two touchdowns.
Prior to being drafted, Dulcich enjoyed a successful career at UCLA. He recorded 77 receptions for 1,353 yards and 11 touchdowns in 33 games across his four seasons with the Bruins. Dulcich's 19.9 yards per reception during the 2020 campaign led the nation, and resulted in him being named second-team All-Pac-12. The following year, he caught 42 passes for 725 yards and five touchdowns on his way to being named first-team All-Pac-12.
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