Matt Barkley expected his phone to ring not long after he saw while watching an NFL Sunday from his home that the Giants lost quarterback Tyrod Taylor to injury.
You can only imagine Barkley’s reaction one week later when he saw that quarterback Daniel Jones, his new teammate, is now out for the season, too.
If starting for the Giants proves overwhelming for undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito, it might not be long before Barkley — who spent three years as a backup in head coach Brian Daboll’s offense with the Bills — takes over the job.
He is one snap away from the field at the least now that Jones — who tore his ACL in a 30-6 loss to the Raiders — isn’t coming back and Taylor is sidelined for at least three more games.
“The system fundamentally is what I’m used to,” Barkley told The Post after joining the team last week. “It’s nearly plug-and-play. It’s just getting caught up to speed on a few things that they have changed — little modifications here and there over the last two years.”
Barkley, 33, tore the UCL in his elbow during a preseason game with the Bills but did not undergo surgery.
He started throwing a few weeks ago as part of his rehab in California, earned a workout for the Giants’ brass on Oct. 16, signed last Tuesday to the practice squad and split scout-team reps with DeVito at practice last week.
“I think it was set up for this,” Barkley said. “They were preemptively checking boxes, seeing if I was ready to go. They weren’t really sure what was going to happen if Tyrod went down. When they called me [last] week, I didn’t need to work out or do the physical because we already went through all that.”
Daboll did not fully commit Monday when asked if DeVito will make his first career start Sunday against the Cowboys.
“My focus is on getting DeVito ready to go, getting Barkley up to speed,” Daboll said, “and doing as good of a job as we can do with the guys that we’re going to have out there.”
Barkley’s seventh career and most recent regular-season start was in 2018, when he threw for 232 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 41-10 win against the Jets, with Daboll calling the plays, at MetLife Stadium.
He has appeared in seven games since then.
“That was a good day — only 10 or 11 days after signing there,” Barkley said. “I can do it [again]. Even my comfort level with the offense would help even more now, knowing what I like and having a level of communication and confidence with them that we’d be on the same page.
“Physically, I can make all the throws and plays that I need to, but the biggest thing right now — if that were to happen — is getting to know the wideouts, tight ends and who would be catching the ball. That always takes time.”
DeVito figures to make his first start Sunday against the Cowboys after coming off the bench to play the bulk of the last two games.
He completed 15 of 20 passes for 175 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions against the Raiders, but most tellingly was trusted to operate a more complex offense than when he relieved Taylor in a loss to the Jets.
“I was watching the [Jets-Giants] game with my boys and my dad, and we figured something was going to happen — and it did,” Barkley said. “Elbow feels good. I feel this every offseason — you can throw and run as much as you want, but getting back into full shape, you need to play. It’s been a good transition.”
Barkley’s initial goal was to “help Daniel in whatever way I can, being another vet voice that has seen things a little longer than he has, and that’s it.”
But circumstances change quickly.
The Giants, under head coach Joe Judge, waffled between second- and third-stringers Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm when Jones was out for the final six games of 2021.
Barkley barely had considered whether he had an honest shot to compete with DeVito as Jones’ backup before the starter job reopened.
“I don’t know if there is a timeline on that, or if it’s up to me or not,” Barkley said. “I’m going to put my best foot forward and show them that it’s in me.”
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