Mike DeVito made it through the most difficult obstacle he’s had to overcome in his life: He made the Jets’ roster.
Now comes the hard part: staying.
When the Jets made their final cuts Saturday, DeVito, a defensive end out of the University of Maine, emerged as the only rookie free agent to make the team.
That was quite an accomplishment, considering the established veterans he was competing with for a spot: Kimo von Oelhoffen, last year’s starter; Bobby Hamilton, one of the locker room leaders; and former Bears No. 1 draft pick Michael Haynes, who was trying to make a comeback from injury.
In fact, when those veterans were cut, it was difficult for DeVito to stomach, because they had been such a help to him in training camp.
“That was tough, because those guys helped me out a lot; I looked up to those guys,” DeVito said. “They gave me a lot of tips, helped me learn. Without those guys I don’t know how well I would have done. So it was hard to see them leave.
“I talked to Kimo the next day after he got signed by Philly and he kept telling me the same thing: ‘Just keep working hard.’ ”
That’s what DeVito, originally from Brooklyn before his parents moved to Cape Cod, has been doing all summer.
“I tried to keep working hard and not worry about whether I was going to be cut,” he said. “I knew it would be tough to make the team coming in as a free agent from a small school, but I tried not to think about making the team. I tried to control what I could control, which was how I did on the field, how I performed on the field.
“Now,” DeVito went on, “I’ve got to stick around. Now I’ve got to show them that they made the right decision by keeping me, that they can trust putting me on the field, trust me to do the things they want me to do, stay in there make plays and help the team.”
DeVito spent cut-down day Saturday on Jones Beach with family and friends and, at all times, kept a wary eye on his cell phone hoping not to get a call.
The silence of the cell phone ringer was golden. By after 5 p.m., the cut deadline, DeVito said he knew he was safe.
“I didn’t make a big deal out of it,” he said, “because I know I still have a lot of work ahead of me.”