Giants Trade For Droughns Is A Steal

The retirement of Tiki Barber left a gigantic giant sized hole in the Giant's back field, however the Giants hope that bringing in Reuben Droughns will help fill the void left by Tiki Barber's retirement. Droughns rushed for 1,200 yards with the Broncos in 2004, and whats more impressive is that he rushed for over 1,200 yards again behind the Browns line in 2005. In 2006, however, he was slowed by injuries and with the Browns out of play-off contention, he was benched so the younger guys could show case their talent. He still rushed for 750 yards last year.

Brandon Jacobs as big and exciting as he is, is still unproven in a full time role. It remains to be seen if he is injury prone, or if he will fumble the ball a lot or even if he will be effective. The Giants did the right thing in trading for Droughns and they only gave up Tim Carter, the often injured receiver drafted in the second round in 2002. If Carter wasn't injured or dropping passes, he was riding the bench or you didn't even know if he was on the field. To give up so little for Droughns, definitely qualifies as one of the biggest steals of the off-season.

Droughns brings a proven runner to the Giants back field, and he comes cheaper the Dominic Rhodes or any of the other options the Giants had in the free agent market. Watching Droughns on the Browns in 2005, he was a very hard runner and he seemed like the real deal, not just a product of the infamous Broncos system.

It should be an exciting combination for Giants fans, two hard nosed power running backs wearing down defenses in the fourth quarter. They will unquestionably battle it out for the starting spot in training camp and it should be a fun spot to watch when the pre-season rolls around. Neither of them are really 3rd down, speed type backs like Tiki Barber, but the Giants will probably grab a pass catching speedy back in the draft.

Jerry Reese, the Giants general manger, had been coming under fire from fans for his lack of activity so far this off season, but this trade for Droughns was a great one. The Browns acquired Jamal Lewis after he was released by the Ravens, so Droughns became expendable, Reese saw that and stole him away for basically nothing, he didn't even have to give up any draft picks. The loss of Carter also means that Sinorice Moss is going to be the third receiver this year, unless the Giants draft or sign another wide receiver.

Tiki Barber was easily one of the NFL's best running backs, there is no way to replace a player of his caliber easily, players like him only come along every so often. The Giants will never be able to replace him, but the trade for Droughns is a big step in getting the running game back on track.

Sources:
http://www.courant.com/sports/hc-nflup0313.artmar13,0,6957105.story?coll=hc-headlines-sports
http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/187528