Empire Writes Back
Fansided

Should New York Giants Reunite with Stevie Brown?

By Maurice Moton

facebooktwitterreddit

The New York Giants could reunite with a former safety, and it’ll feel so good.

The Giants are down four safeties thus far. Mykkele Thompson, Justin Currie and Bennett Jackson are all on the shelf for the season. There’s ambiguity concerning safety Nat Berhe’s injury concerning a hardened blood clot in his calf.

Also On Empire Writes Back: Top 5 Performances In Osi Umenyiora’s Giants’ Career

According to the New York Daily News writers Ralph Vacchiano and Justin Tasch, Burhe was likely done for the season, but he refuses to give up hope on the possibility of returning to the field. He responded to an inquiry on his chances of playing again this season in a short tweet:

Whether Berhe returns or not, the Giants will lean on second-round pick Landon Collins and veteran Brandon Meriweather who just signed with the team nearly two weeks ago as starting safeties.

The Giants need some depth, especially with Meriweather’s history of missing games due to injury or suspension.

The Houston Texans might have done the Giants a small favor by releasing safety Stevie Brown.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Brown and the Texans mutually parted ways based the player’s dissatisfaction with his outlook as a starter. Basically, Brown didn’t have a chance of earning a starting role in Houston.

As a result, he’ll test the free-agent market and, you can envision the Giants desperately pushing their shopping cart up and down the aisles looking for another safety.

Viola!

The former Giants safety hits the market with starting aspirations. If the New York signs Brown, he must still compete for a starting spot, but it’s not an impossible feat as perceived with the Texans roster.

In 2012, Brown tied for second-most interceptions (8) in the league, but led in interception return yards (306).  The safety became a dangerous return specialist after creating turnovers.

More from New York Giants

Brown missed an entire season with an ACL tear in the following season and failed to emulate his 2012 performance last season. As expected, the Giants had second thoughts about renewing his contract, which led to his venture onto the free-agent market.

It’s safe to say that Brown regained his competitive spirit. Not even a half year removed from the team, a possible return would become a seamless transition.

The Giants need the pick-me-up on the back end of the defense. Cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie have also missed time with minor injuries.

New York competes in a division with the Philadelphia Eagles’ fast-paced offense led by head coach Chip Kelly and a dominant quarterback-wide receiver tandem in Tony Romo and Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys.

Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports

It’s in general manager Jerry Reese’s best interest to strengthen the secondary in order to compete with division rivals. The lack of starting experience at the safety position alone warrants a phone call to Brown for his services.

Brown doesn’t need an encore performance of his 2012 campaign, but he’s an upgrade over safeties Jeromy Miles and Cooper Taylor. Miles allowed a touchdown in the first preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, per Pro Football Focus, and Taylor hasn’t started a game in his NFL career.

Taylor could develop into a decent player, but it’s risky to depend so heavily on him so early in his career without a backup plan.

Brown projects as a low-level signee based on his position and lack of production over the last two seasons. He’s not going to hurt the Giants finances, but he could give Big Blue a security blanket for an aging veteran and a rookie.

Follow Maurice Moton on Twitter for Giants news and updates.

All statistics are provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.

Next: Who was the best Giants' player of 2014?

More from Empire Writes Back

Home/New York Giants