After a preseason debut that saw Mike Glennon and Clayton Thorson complete a total of eight passes for a mere 92 yards, the New York Giants have chosen to address their quarterback position.
The team is adding former Michigan State standout Brian Lewerke into the fold, via his agent Mike McCartney.
Congrats to QB @brianlewerke14 agreeing to terms with the @Giants
The Giants originally brought Lewerke in for a workout earlier this month. He becomes the third quarterback on the roster behind starter Daniel Jones and the aforementioned Glennon after the team waived Thorson with an injury designation. As for Lewerke, don’t be surprised to see the G-Men give him a look under center come Sunday’s preseason bout against the Cleveland Browns.
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Lewerke is Michigan State’s All-Time Leader in Total Offense
Lewerke, 24, rewrote the record books during his time in East Lansing, finishing his Spartans career as the University’s all-time leader in total offense with 9,548 yards from scrimmage — 8,293 passing yards and 1,255 rushing yards. His 38 career starts and 22 wins each rank third among Michigan State signal-callers. In 2019, Lewerke earned MVP honors in the Pinstripe Bowl following a 27-21 victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
Despite his lofty production and whispers early in his collegiate career of being a future top-10 pick, a down Junior season and a spotty Senior campaign forced Lewerke to freefall down draft boards. The Washington native would ultimately go undrafted in 2020, latching on with the New England Patriots shortly after. After spending training camp with the team, he failed to make the team’s final 53-man roster. Most recently, he signed a contract with the Alphas of The Spring League in May of this year.
Do the Giants Have a Backup QB Problem?
The Giants went out of their way to bolster their roster around Daniel Jones this season. Although, the same can’t be said about the depth chart behind him. While Colt McCoy wasn’t ever going to have Jones looking over his shoulder, he proved to be a viable backup to the third-year pro a season ago — even handing the Seattle Seahawks their first home loss of 2020.
Instead of keeping McCoy around, the team let him walk in free agency, where he now serves as Kyler Murray’s primary backup with the Arizona Cardinals. To replace McCoy, the Giants added Glennon, whose production last year wasn’t all that bad. Despite dropping all of his five starts with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the former third-rounder completed 62% of his passes while amassing 1,072 passing yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions.
The biggest drawback to Glennon is his lack of mobility. Jones averaged 30.2 rushing yards per game last season, the fifth-most among all NFL quarterbacks. On the other hand, Glennon has averaged just 3.1 rushing yards per game over his 34 career appearances.
While behind the eight-ball, Lewerke could theoretically stake claim to the third quarterback slot. His mobility should help his case. Either way, he shouldn’t be the Giants’ final addition to the position this offseason, as the roster is still lacking talent under center behind Jones — which is not ideal for a team whose starter has missed two games in each of his first two NFL seasons.
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Giants Signing Ex-Patriots QB, MSU’s All-Time Leader in Total Offense