Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
New York Giants running back Andre Brown suffered a fractured leg in the final preseason game Thursday night against the New England Patriots. With Ahmad Bradshaw gone to the Indianapolis Colts the Giants were going to rely heavily on Brown and second-year running back David Wilson to lead a revamped rushing attack. Now, the Giants, like they seem to do every preseason, will be forced to look for someone to step in to fill the void left by Brown who fractured the same leg last season.
Right now, the Giants have Wilson, Michael Cox, Da’Rel Scott and Ryan Torain on the roster. However, aside from Wilson none of the aforementioned were a lock to make the roster. Cox will probably make it because of his ability to return kicks and the Giants could look to expand his role on the offense.
If the Giants don’t bring in a free agent, Ryan Torain could end up making this team but Scott can’t be dismissed given his open-field speed. It will be a tough decision for Tom Coughlin and his staff but there is also a very good chance that the injury to Brown will force the Giants to the free agent market and bring in a couple of running backs.
On the free agent market there are a few names that will ring a bell like Michael Turner, Willis McGahee, Ryan Grant and Tim Hightower. There is also former Giant Brandon Jacobs. Expect the Giants to bring in a couple of running backs for workouts even if they don’t intend to sign one. Last season, after Brown went down, the Giants brought in a few running backs including Joseph Addai, Torain and Kregg Lumpkin. The Giants ultimately signed Lumpkin and Torain who contributed sparingly down the stretch last year.
Expect the Giants to do their due diligence and bring in a couple of running backs but also expect the Giants to move forward with the running backs already on their roster.
The loss of Brown is extremely disappointing. Brown showed flashes of being a lead back at times last year and was very productive in the red zone last season with eight rushing touchdowns. Brown was looking forward to carrying a bigger load this season and set some very lofty goals for himself.
Now, David Wilson will be asked to do even more and it remains to be seen if he is ready to shoulder the entire load. Brown, meanwhile, will try and make it back to play a role potentially later in the season. For now, it is up to David Wilson to step up and one of Cox, Torain and Scott will need to take advantage.
Chris is a Senior Writer as well as the Hiring and Recruiting Manager for Rant sports. Follow Chris on Twitter and “Like” his page on Facebook.
