New York Giants should look into Shane Vereen

The New York Giants first season under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo actually went well, as Eli Manning completed 63.1% of his passes in a solid season despite the fact that superstar WR Odell Beckham Jr. and rising tight end Larry Donnell were his only legit targets with Victor Cruz out for the season. Rueben Randle caught 71 passes but continues to offset his upside with frustrating inconsistency, as he had a 55.9% catch rate, per Advanced Football Analytics.

In general, McAdoo and Manning didn’t have the ideal set-up around them despite OBJ’s greatness, as workhorse back Rashad Jennings missed some time with an injury, and injuries prevented the revamped offensive line from having its desired effect on the team’s success in 2014.

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That said, the Giants passing attack showed improvement in a 6-10 season, as Eli looked more comfortable and accurate under McAdoo, and the emphasis on horizontal passing should suit him well in 2015. That said, it would behoove Jerry Reese and the Giants to add some more versatility to their passing attack, and they could achieve that by signing Shane Vereen, who isn’t expected to be retained by the New England Patriots.

ESPN Boston’s excellent Mike Reiss reported that Vereen is expected to get a contract that is at least similar to the one Donald Brown signed with the San Diego Chargers last offseason. Brown inked a three-year, $10.5 million deal with $4 million in guaranteed money, and, in my opinion, Vereen is easily worth that kind of cash despite his injury history.

Reiss, like most others, has “doubts” the Patriots will re-sign Vereen, and it sounds like this will be another Danny Woodhead situation in which the Pats let a top pass-catching back leave in free agency. Vereen will likely find better offers elsewhere, but a return to New England can’t be ruled out.

If Vereen does hit the free agent market, then I expect suitors to line up with interest in his versatility, since his skill-set fits an ever-evolving NFL that puts an emphasis on explosive players who can generate mis-matches like Vereen. We saw a shining of example of how important versatility can be in the Super Bowl, as Vereen’s underrated toughness and improved hands allowed him to move the chains after exploiting short areas of the field with his trademark quickness and agility.

Jennings caught 30 passes last season, but neither he nor Andre Williams are pass-catching backs, and Williams’s receiving ability has always been a point of criticism (this stems from his days at Boston College). Vereen is one of the best five pass-catching backs in the league, he dropped just three passes last year with 52 receptions (per Pro Football Focus), and he can split out wide ever since being used in that capacity in training camp in 2013.

While Tom Coughlin won’t necessarily like Vereen’s play in pass protection, the fact of the matter is that Vereen could be an excellent safety valve with additional playmaking ability in the Giants offense. He can supplement OBJ’s all-around beastliness, Randle’s upside outside the hashmarks, Cruz’s (assuming he’s healthy) blistering work in the slot, and Donnell’s solid play as the other safety valve. Vereen would be a luxury player for the Giants, but imagine how creative McAdoo could be with him.

In an offense that looks to spread the field wide and take advantage of quick passes, Vereen is an ideal weapon. He can run, catch passes out of the backfield, line up as a slot receiver, and cause confusion in the defense by going in motion before catching a quick pass and turning on the jets. Shane Vereen is a potentially electrifying playmaker who break out a la Darren Sproles in the passing game if given more targets.

The New York Giants have talent on offense when healthy, but this is a team that could use a secrete weapon if they want to be an even bigger darkhorse team next year. I’m not sure how cheap Vereen will be, but I can’t see him costing significantly more than Brown did, which means that he would be perfectly affordable .

We saw what adding a top pass-catching back did for Philip Rivers, as former Patriots RB Danny Woodhead turned into a key safety valve for Rivers in the QB’s 2013 bounce-back season. Manning could also use a player like that, and Vereen is even more explosive than Woodhead after the catch.

In a spread offense like McAdoo’s, big plays come from explosive players in space who make things happen after the catch, and Vereen has the speed and shakes to do exactly that. For the Giants, signing Vereen wouldn’t be about depth in the rushing game- though he can provide that- it would be about adding a potentially huge playmaker and key chess piece to an improving passing attack that could use one more, unique component.

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