Rusty Smith signs with New York Giants
Rusty Smith (11) passes the football against the Oakland Raiders before the game at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Giants looked into several backup quarterback options before signing former Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round pick Josh Freeman, and it looked like they were done adding QBs with Eli Manning, Freeman, and second-year pro Ryan Nassib as the three signal-callers on their roster. However, the Giants have decided to bring on a fourth quarterback, as the team has officially announced the signing of former Tennessee Titans backup Rusty Smith to an undisclosed deal.
Smith is a 23-45 career passer with four interceptions and no touchdowns, so he’s definitely in the mold of a career backup. He isn’t a good backup, but he’s about a normal No. 3 QB. The Giants worked him out early in the month, and he received a call from the New Orleans Saints a couple of weeks ago for a workout. It didn’t look like his workout with the Giants would amount to anything after they signed Freeman, but the Giants have decided that they would like to say, “Why not?” and bring in the 6’5″, 27-year-old.
The Giants decision to sign Smith puts Nassib in an interesting situation, because he would seem to be the odd-man out. Nassib is older than Freeman and had plenty of hype before the draft last year, but it’s possible that the Giants view Freeman as a better developmental QB behind Manning. Meanwhile, Smith would be the established veteran clipboard-holder, putting Nassib in an interesting position. There’s no grounds to outright release him, but it’s possible that the Giants could trade him to a team that likes him, especially if he has a strong preseason. It’s too early to speculate on Nassib’s future, but it’s interesting to see that the Giants have signed Freeman and Smith in the same month of the offseason.