Factoid

December 13, 2023

No-name quarterbacks

Undrafted Tommy DeVito has won three straight

It’s been a weird year at quarterback. Tommy DeVito has won three games in a row. Earlier in the year, similarly unheralded Tyson Bagent won a pair of games for the Bears. Both of these guys are rookies, and neither was even drafted.

This doesn’t happen often (an undrafted rookie quarterback starting a game and getting a W). Since the merger in 1970, it had happened only 18 times previously, and six of those came during a three-week period in 1987 when a labor conflict caused teams to use replacement players. (Aside: in our fantasy league, we simply canceled games for that three-week period; in hindsight, I wish we’d just treated them as regular games, with owners trying to make sense of which nobodies to add to their rosters.)

Only one other undrafted rookie quarterback has won three starts (since 1970). That would be Duck Hodges. If DeVito can do it one more time, he’ll surpass him.

UNDRAFTED ROOKIE QUARTERBACKS WINNING AS STARTERS
Year	Player	Opp	Result	Cm	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Int
1970	Don Gault, Cle.	Pitt.	W 15-7	1	16	6.3	44	0	2
1973	Bill Demory, NYJ	at N.E.	W 9-7	1	7	14.3	11	0	0
1987	Ed Rubbert, Was.	at NYG	W 38-12	11	23	47.8	176	1	0
1987	Ed Rubbert, Was.	St.L.	W 28-21	14	24	58.3	334	3	1
1987	Erik Kramer, Atl.	LAR	W 24-20	27	46	58.7	335	3	2
1987	Shawn Halloran, St.L.	N.O.	W 24-19	2	7	28.6	5	0	1
1987	Bob Bleier, N.E.	Buff.	W 14-7	4	13	30.8	43	0	1
1987	Ed Rubbert, Was.	at Dall.	W 13-7	1	2	50.0	22	0	0
2002	Chad Hutchinson, Dall.	Was.	W 27-20	12	25	48.0	145	2	0
2002	Chad Hutchinson, Dall.	Jac.	W 21-19	16	24	66.7	301	2	2
2007	Matt Moore, Car.	at T.B.	W 31-23	15	24	62.5	174	2	1
2007	Matt Moore, Car.	Sea.	W 13-10	19	27	70.4	208	0	0
2010	Max Hall, Ari.	N.O.	W 30-20	17	27	63.0	168	0	1
2013	Matt McGloin, Oak.	at Hou.	W 28-23	18	32	56.3	197	3	0
2018	Kyle Allen, Car.	at N.O.	W 33-14	16	27	59.3	228	2	0
2019	Devlin Hodges, Pitt.	at LAC	W 24-17	15	20	75.0	132	1	1
2019	Devlin Hodges, Pitt.	at Ari.	W 23-17	16	19	84.2	152	1	0
2019	Devlin Hodges, Pitt.	Cle.	W 20-13	14	21	66.7	212	1	1
2023	• Tyson Bagent, Chi.	L.V.	W 30-12	21	29	72.4	162	1	0
2023	• Tyson Bagent, Chi.	Car.	W 16-13	20	33	60.6	162	0	0
2023	Tommy DeVito, NYG	at Was.	W 31-19	18	26	69.2	246	3	0
2023	Tommy DeVito, NYG	N.E.	W 10-7	17	25	68.0	191	1	0
2023	Tommy DeVito, NYG	G.B.	W 24-22	17	21	81.0	158	1	0

Statistics compiled using search tools at Pro-Football-Reference.com

With the way the Giants are running the ball (and with New Orleans problems stopping the run), I’m not ruling out New York pulling off another one. They’re a 6.5-point underdog, and I think that’s too much.

For curious to see the 46 losing starts by undrafted rookies can read on.

UNDRAFTED ROOKIE QUARTERBACKS LOSING AS STARTERS
Year	Player	Opp	Result	Cm	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Int
1970	Rick Arrington, Phil.	at G.B.	L 17-30	3	10	30.0	16	0	3
1973	Bill Demory, NYJ	at Pitt.	L 14-26	6	15	40.0	84	1	3
1973	Bill Demory, NYJ	Den.	L 28-40	0	4	.0	0	0	2
1975	J.J. Jones, NYJ	at S.D.	L 16-24	1	5	20.0	13	0	1
1987	Adrian Breen, Cin.	S.D.	L 9-10	3	5	60.0	9	1	0
1987	Erik Kramer, Atl.	Pitt.	L 12-28	5	13	38.5	48	0	2
1987	Matt Stevens, K.C.	at Rai.	L 17-35	14	25	56.0	162	1	0
1987	Matt Stevens, K.C.	at Mia.	L 0-42	1	4	25.0	5	0	0
1987	Bob Bleier, N.E.	Cle.	L 10-20	10	26	38.5	138	1	0
1987	Shawn Halloran, St.L.	at Was.	L 21-28	16	35	45.7	258	0	0
1987	Jim Crocicchia, NYG	S.F.	L 21-41	6	15	40.0	89	1	0
1987	Jeff Van Raaphorst, Atl.	S.F.	L 17-25	5	13	38.5	61	0	1
1987	Mike Busch, NYG	Was.	L 12-38	14	41	34.1	183	1	1
1991	Brad Goebel, Phil.	at T.B.	L 13-14	9	20	45.0	62	0	2
1991	Brad Goebel, Phil.	N.O.	L 6-13	12	22	54.5	106	0	4
2000	Doug Johnson, Atl.	Sea.	L 10-30	17	33	51.5	233	1	2
2000	Doug Johnson, Atl.	at N.O.	L 7-23	5	10	50.0	45	0	1
2002	Chad Hutchinson, Dall.	Sea.	L 14-17	12	24	50.0	145	1	0
2002	Chad Hutchinson, Dall.	at Det.	L 7-9	22	39	56.4	208	0	0
2002	Chad Hutchinson, Dall.	at Ind.	L 3-20	11	23	47.8	131	0	0
2002	Chad Hutchinson, Dall.	S.F.	L 27-31	11	28	39.3	147	0	2
2002	Chad Hutchinson, Dall.	at NYG	L 7-37	16	40	40.0	161	1	2
2002	Chad Hutchinson, Dall.	Phil.	L 3-27	15	24	62.5	128	0	1
2002	Chad Hutchinson, Dall.	at Was.	L 14-20	12	23	52.2	189	1	1
2007	Matt Moore, Car.	Dall.	L 13-20	15	28	53.6	182	1	1
2010	Max Hall, Ari.	at Sea.	L 10-22	4	16	25.0	36	0	1
2010	Max Hall, Ari.	T.B.	L 35-38	8	16	50.0	71	1	2
2013	Jeff Tuel, Buff.	K.C.	L 13-23	18	39	46.2	229	1	2
2013	Matt McGloin, Oak.	Ten.	L 19-23	19	32	59.4	260	1	1
2013	Matt McGloin, Oak.	at Dall.	L 24-31	18	30	60.0	255	0	1
2013	Matt McGloin, Oak.	at NYJ	L 27-37	18	31	58.1	245	2	1
2013	Matt McGloin, Oak.	K.C.	L 31-56	18	35	51.4	297	2	4
2013	Matt McGloin, Oak.	at S.D.	L 13-26	20	36	55.6	206	0	1
2014	Connor Shaw, Cle.	at Balt.	L 10-20	14	28	50.0	177	0	1
2019	Devlin Hodges, Pitt.	Buff.	L 10-17	23	38	60.5	202	1	4
2019	Devlin Hodges, Pitt.	at NYJ	L 10-16	11	17	64.7	84	0	2
2019	Devlin Hodges, Pitt.	at Balt.	L 10-28	9	25	36.0	95	0	0
2019	David Blough, Det.	Chi.	L 20-24	22	38	57.9	280	2	1
2019	David Blough, Det.	at Min.	L 7-20	24	40	60.0	205	1	2
2019	David Blough, Det.	T.B.	L 17-38	24	43	55.8	260	0	2
2019	David Blough, Det.	at Den.	L 17-27	12	24	50.0	117	1	0
2019	David Blough, Det.	G.B.	L 20-23	12	29	41.4	122	0	1
2022	Anthony Brown, Balt.	at Cin.	L 16-27	19	44	43.2	286	0	2
2023	• Tyson Bagent, Chi.	at LAC	L 13-30	25	37	67.6	232	0	2
2023	• Tyson Bagent, Chi.	at N.O.	L 17-24	18	30	60.0	220	2	3
2023	Tommy DeVito, NYG	at Dall.	L 17-49	14	27	51.9	86	2	1

Statistics compiled using search tools at Pro-Football-Reference.com

—Ian Allan

Tommy DeVito Tyson Bagent

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