A.J. Brown isn’t the one who secured Brian Daboll a national championship ring.
If the Giants need any reminders that the Eagles have more than one game-changing receiver, their head coach can show the film of his most memorable play call as an offensive coordinator. In his one year at Alabama, Daboll called “four verticals” on a second-and-26 and a streaking DeVonta Smith caught a 41-yard walk-off touchdown pass in an overtime win against Georgia in the College Football Playoff.
So, the Giants are aware of the pick-your-poison conundrum presented by a wide receiver corps led by Brown and Smith.
“Anytime you play good receivers, it’s always a challenge,” Daboll said. “With two of them, you can usually affect any part of the field you want to affect — deep, short, outside the numbers on either side. Those guys are productive players that put stress on defenses.”
And the Giants are going to counter with two cornerbacks who were out of NFL jobs on Aug. 30. That was the day Nick McCloud was cut by the Bills — before he was claimed off waivers — and it was in the middle of Fabian Moreau’s free agency after he was released by the Texans.
“[Brown] is playing at a ridiculous level,” said McCloud, who played all 85 defensive snaps last week. “Confidence is everything in this league, so just trying to match his energy and his confidence is going to be the biggest thing. It’s going out there with a mindset that I have to compete and I have to win.”
The on-paper mismatch is the price to pay for top cornerback Adoree’ Jackson — who was Brown’s teammate for two seasons with the Titans — suffering a knee injury returning punts last month. Jackson’s absence was felt last week against the Commanders — when Moreau was toasted by Terry McLaurin (eight catches for 105 yards) — and could loom even larger without his inside knowledge of Brown.
Brown (61 catches for 950 yards and nine touchdowns) is on pace to smash his career highs in his first season with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
“It’s a talented group, and really they were last year, as well,” Jackson said of the Eagles’ receivers. “Add A.J. Brown, a dynamic receiver. I feel like he’s always been like that. Just more televised games and he’s able to showcase to everybody that’s what he does consistently. [Since] he came in as a rookie, he’s been like that going crazy.”
The Giants could opt to have Moreau, who declined comment on the matchups, travel with Brown in a best-on-best matchup. Or they could try to have Moreau negate Smith and throw double-teams at Brown. Or they could stick corners on respective sides of the field no matter the matchup.
How will the Giants handle Brown? Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is thinking back nearly 20 years to the Eagles’ Terrell Owens era.
“Whew, got any ideas?” defensive coordinator Wink Martindale asked rhetorically. “It’s like they’ve got T.O. back there playing again. He’s a problem. We went against him when he was in Tennessee and he’s a big physical receiver that you’d have to fight every play. I told [defensive backs coach] Jerome Henderson, if he was a defensive player he’d be an outside linebacker — that’s how physical he plays at wide receiver.”
One big difference? In the Owens years, the Eagles’ No. 2 target was a toss-up between running back Brian Westbrook and tight end L.J. Smith. The best outside options were Todd Pinkston and Greg Lewis. Neither posed the same threat as Smith, the first-round pick coveted by the Giants in 2021. That makes McCloud’s development crucial.
“He’s just a football player, not just No. 2 corner,” Martindale said. “We play him everywhere. You can count on him, he works at it, he studies, he asks all the right questions. I’m really excited for this kid’s career.”
No time like the present. Brown long coveted an opportunity to be part of an elite tandem. It’s why he recruited Julio Jones to the Titans, though it didn’t work out. If either Brown or Smith moves into the slot, the Giants will have starter Darnay Holmes back after one game missed with a shoulder injury.
“These are the types of games you get excited for as a DB,” Holmes said. “The accolades they have are blessings on their end, and those are things I’m aiming to accomplish. The way we operate, we’re never too worried about a person’s status on the outside world. Those are opinions. When we get between the lines, we’ll see how we pan out.”