The New York Giants have decided to sign free agent running back Brandon Jacobs to a contract, according to ESPN.com and other media reports, ending the speculation about whether they would bring in him or Willis McGahee after David Wilson's fumbling issues.
The Giants felt that they needed to add an extra veteran running back after Andre Brown broke his leg in the preseason and it became an even bigger issue after David Wilson fumbled twice in bad fashion against the Cowboys. Wilson has now fumbled against the Cowboys in each of the last two season openers and now Jacobs could come in and grab some significant carries as the Giants try and get over their awful loss to the Cowboys that saw the team give up six turnovers to Dallas.
Jacobs was released back in March of last year after the Giants decided to get rid of him as an expensive and aging veteran and now he is back with the team after winning two Super Bowls. Jacobs can be a loudmouth, but he is a solid player and he put up some very good numbers over the years for the Giants, holding the record for touchdowns in franchise history and amassing nearly 5,000 rushing yards in his career. Jacobs had previously expressed interest in resigning with the Giants at some point, but the opportunity never came up.
The team likely signed Jacobs over other players like Beanie Wells and Willis McGahee due to his age and also his knowledge of the system and the playbook, which he should know pretty well from his time with the team. The return of Jacobs comers after the team let Ahmad Bradshaw go after last season and he signed with the Colts, while Jacobs was previously with the 49ers before getting released from there after having some issues with the coaching staff and the team.
Jacobs was essential to the team winning two Super Bowls and he had some crucial plays down the stretch for the Giants in both of those games and the team is hoping that he can sustain that magic for some time until David Wilson gets his act together. Tom Coughlin was critical after the game of Wilson, who he said has plenty of talent and will get chances, but first he must show that he can hang onto the ball on a consistent basis. The Giants have experience in this field already, as Tiki Barber was once a fumbling machine, but once he got his act together, he was one of the best running backs in the league when it came to ball security.
Jacobs is 31 and played seven years with the Giants before getting released and McGahee came in after being cut by the Broncos due to age and knee issues. McGahee had over 700 yards last season and while the Giants may have liked what they saw from him, Jacobs was the more familiar player and now they will move forward this week with a big game against the Denver Broncos and it remains to be seen whether the Giants will start Wilson or how much they will play him.