New York Giants: Stevie Brown needs to be brought back

According to multiple outlets, including ESPN’s Tania Ganguli, the Houston Texans released safety Stevie Brown. Although nothing is official yet, it would make sense for Brown to return to the New York Giants, where he played from 2012 until 2014.

Brown won’t command a lot of money, and it would be a win-win situation for both parties.

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For starters, the Giants are absolutely decimated at the safety position. Rookie Mykkele Thompson ruptured his Achilles tendon in New York’s first preseason game, Bennett Jackson suffered a torn ACL, Justin Currie fractured his ankle and Nat Berhe recently underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from his calve.

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Thompson, Jackson and Currie are all lost for the year. Berhe was initially believed to be done for 2015, but he recently said it’s ‘highly likely’ he plays again this year.

Second-round draft pick Landon Collins suffered a strained MCL in the team’s first preseason game, but he isn’t slated to miss serious time. In an effort to improve the questionable safety position, the Giants brought in veteran Brandon Meriweather to add physicality.

This team is still lacking any form of stability at safety, though, and Brown would help fix add some. He’s not a Pro Bowl player, but he’s a veteran who’s familiar with the team. Though, he would have to learn a new, complicated defense.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano alluded to a possible Brown-Giants reunion in a recent article.

“When you hear that Brown wanted to pursue opportunities elsewhere, it’s completely safe to assume he’s well aware of the Giants’ issue at safety,” Graziano said. “ESPN’s Anita Marks, who was the first reporter to report Brown’s release, said on the air on ESPN’s 98.7 FM radio in New York that Brown told her he was hoping to return to the Giants.”

The sixth-year pro nabbed eight interceptions with the Giants in 2012, and he displayed an uncanny nose for the ball. He came out of nowhere and proved to be a consistent playmaker in the Giants’ defensive backfield. Brown displayed speed, explosiveness and intelligence in his breakout campaign. Brown was a pleasant surprise and he appeared to have a bright future.

Sep 8, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron (85) has a pass knocked away by New York Giants strong safety Stevie Brown (27) during the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Unfortunately, Brown tore his ACL in the 2013 preseason and he never really looked like himself last year. He struggled in deep coverage, and was even benched in favor of the aforementioned Berhe.

Brown would add versatility to a unit that sorely lacks it. Collins and Meriweather (Berhe, too), the likely week 1 starters for the Giants, are both better suited as strong safeties. Both have a similar skill set, and neither player is exactly adept in pass coverage.

With a full year under his belt playing on his surgically repaired knee, it’s not crazy to think Brown would be able to return to his 2012 form. He only started eight games last year, though he appeared in all 16.

Brown would also have an easy time finding success playing in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. Also, Brown’s skill set would give Spagnuolo more opportunities to let his safeties drop back into coverage in certain blitz packages.

Writer’s note:

First off, I don’t think people understand how huge the loss of Berhe is. He’s a talented player, and the sooner he can return, the better. Secondly, bringing back Brown would be an under-the-radar, beneficial move for the Giants. They don’t need all-stars playing safety, they just need reliability and depth.

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