Remember the fall of 2023? Pinching fingers, Sunday dinners, and the sudden, chaotic rise of "Tommy Cutlets."
For a brief moment, Tommy DeVito was the most famous third-string quarterback in the world, turning a desperate New York Giants season into a viral Italian-American celebration. But viral fame has a notoriously short shelf life in the NFL. If you don't evolve, you end up a trivia question.
Fast forward to New England Patriots training camp in 2026, and DeVito is officially rewriting his narrative. He isn't a novelty act anymore. In fact, his head coach Mike Vrabel has a brand new name for him.
Say goodbye to "Tommy Cutlets." Say hello to "Two Chains."
The Evolution of a Locker Room Favorite
The nickname swap isn’t just a cosmetic upgrade—it's a symbol of DeVito’s rising status in New England.
According to Vrabel, the moniker started last year when he noticed DeVito rocking his signature pair of gold chains around the facility. "I never take them off," DeVito smiled. "And that turned into ‘Two Chains.’ That’s good, and that’s how it is throughout the building now."
But while the nickname is flashy, DeVito's play on the field has been quietly businesslike.
Last year, the Patriots claimed DeVito off waivers to occupy the quiet corner of the QB room as the No. 3 option. One year later, his steady development convinced the front office to let veteran backup Joshua Dobbs walk.
This summer, "Two Chains" has locked down the No. 2 spot behind center.
Why This Matters: The Premium on QB Stability
In the modern NFL, a reliable backup quarterback is worth their weight in gold. Just ask the dozens of teams whose playoff hopes evaporate the second their starter pulls a hamstring.
DeVito’s glow-up matters because he is transitioning from a high-variance "cult hero" to a stable, system-fluent distributor. Under Vrabel and the Patriots' coaching staff, DeVito has been forced to master a highly demanding offensive system.
"The way this offense gives the quarterback [the leeway]... you make all the decisions," DeVito explained. "Everything flows through the quarterback. For the coaches to have that kind of trust in you, it's awesome."
That trust is paying dividends. During a recent intrasquad scrimmage, DeVito led the blue team to victory over high-profile rookie Drake Maye's white team, completing 13 of 16 passes and tossing two touchdowns. He backed that up this week with a spectacular 50-yard touchdown bomb to wideout Mack Hollins.
Defensive back Dell Pettus put it best: "The talent has always been there, but I think he’s just in a flow state right now. He looks fantastic."
Ready for the Reality of the NFL
If there is one thing DeVito possesses, it’s perspective. He has already experienced the brutal volatility of professional football. He knows that the distance between holding a clipboard on the practice squad and starting on Monday Night Football is exactly one bad hit on the starter.
"I got exposed to that early on in my rookie year," DeVito said. "You’ve always got to stay ready."
Tommy DeVito may never be a franchise savior, but he doesn't need to be. By trading the gimmicky "Cutlets" brand for the hard-earned respect of "Two Chains," he has proven he belongs in this league.
When the lights turn on this season, the Patriots can rest easy knowing their safety net is draped in gold and completely unfazed by the pressure.
