Chris Faytok/The Star-Ledger

The New York Giants released Brandon Jacobs, and the NFL suspended Andre Brown for performance-enhancing drugs.  That leaves the running back depth to three players.

Ahmad Bradshaw is the first string RB.  His height (5’10″) gives him an advantage against opposing defenses.  This makes it easier for him to find smaller spaces to get through the line.

One issue with Bradshaw is that he’s injury prone.  He played last season with a stress fracture in his foot and missed four weeks.  The Giants were able to get by having a veteran Jacobs take over.  Now that Jacobs is out of the picture, Bradshaw doesn’t have an experienced back up.  If he re-injures his foot and is back on the sidelines, the Giants could have a real problem on their hands.

Da’rel Scott is coming out of his rookie season and may have an opportunity to prove himself.  Scott was the 10th player in Maryland history to rush 2,000 career yards.  He was one of four players in school history with both 2,000 rushing and 500 receiving yards.  He’s a very solid RB that, with enough training and experience, can be a worthy backup to Bradshaw.

Last season when Jacobs and Bradshaw were going through injuries, the Giants used DJ Ware in a lot of plays.  One advantage Ware has is his speed.  When he can get through a defensive line he is off to the races.  If he has more carries in games he can be a real threat.  Ware needs to work on finding the spaces in the line to get him more carries.

What the Giants need is a veteran RB.  This gives them not only more depth, but leadership.  They didn’t have that leadership with Jacobs on the squad.  If the Giants can afford to pick up a free agent for a year or two or trade up it would be a good move for them.  A veteran presence for the running backs is important.

The Associated Press

The NFL has suspended New York Giants running back Andre Brown after learning he violated the league policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Brown spent the 2011 season on the practice squad, and is best known to Giants fans as the creator of the “I Got a Ring” song on the plane ride home after winning the Super Bowl.

Brown will be available for the Giants after Week 4 of the 2012 season.  He is eligible to participate in offseason and preseason practices and games.

With the loss of Brandon Jacobs and now Brown, that leaves Ahmad Bradshaw, who has been struggling with a stress fracture in his foot from last season.

The Giants do have DJ Ware and Da’Rel Scott on the roster, but after the Brown news it’s become more important now to pick up a running back whether it’s in the draft or free agency.