How Tommy DeVito is bringing ‘Italian swagger’ to Patriots QB room

FOXBOROUGH — Tommy DeVito has only been in Foxborough a week, but he’s already a welcome addition to the Patriots quarterback room.

Endearingly nicknamed “Tommy Cutlets” thanks to his Italian heritage as a Giant, DeVito famously lived with his mother in New Jersey as he galvanized New York to a three-game winning streak — one at New England’s expense — late in the 2023 season.

After being claimed by the Patriots, quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant said DeVito has brought that same energy to Foxborough.

“You can just tell he has that same Italian swagger. He comes in and he’s a Jersey kid for sure,” Grant said. “A lot of confidence. A lot of swagger. I like working with Tommy.”

Grant and DeVito actually squared off as foes for the first time six years ago.

Grant was a quality control coach at Holy Cross, and the Crusaders made a trip up to the Carrier Dome to face DeVito’s Syracuse Orange. It was a skunking, as DeVito threw four touchdown passes and Syracuse rolled to a 41-3 victory.

“I think the athletic department at Holy Cross got a nice check for that one,” Grant cracked. “But I just remember the swagger and the speed that he played with.”

Upon meeting DeVito in Foxborough, Grant brought that game up and it was met with a predictable response.

“He just laughed at me. He was like, ‘We already knew what it was going to be.’ But that’s just the confidence that he has, which I love,” Grant said. “I thought he fit really well in New York in that system and he impressed when we played him in the preseason game. So when we became available, that was something we were interested in looking at. We were happy that we could add him to the room.”

And yes, during his first weekend in Massachusetts, DeVito made it to the North End for St. Anthony’s Feast.