Stevie Brown to Giants: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

The New York Giants are dipping into an older well in the hopes of upgrading their defense, announcing the acquisition of free-agent safety Stevie Brown on Monday.

Michael Eisen reported the news for the team's official website. The Giants' official Twitter account provided video of Brown meeting the media after putting pen to paper:

Brown played for New York in 2012 and 2014, missing the year in between with a torn ACL. In his maiden campaign in the Big Apple, the 28-year-old veteran broke out with eight interceptions. Last season Brown didn't look the same coming off the major knee injury and was even benched for Quintin Demps.

If he can emulate his form from his first year with the Giants, there's a strong chance Brown could carve out a starting role again. Brown signed with the Houston Texans in May but was released on Saturday. That's not encouraging on the surface, but Houston already had Rahim Moore in place as a starter at free safety.

Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle weighed in on Brown's return to New York:

Rookie second-round draft pick Landon Collins is capable of playing either safety position, but he unfortunately suffered a sprained MCL in Week 2 of the preseason against Cincinnati.

The Giants' safety depth is also hurting because of the season ending Achilles injury suffered by Mykkele Thompson, a fifth-round pick in the most recent draft. Thompson was also hurt versus the Bengals.

If Brown doesn't start right away, he at least provides a veteran presence in the secondary and has played at a high level in the past. He can be a strong mentor to Collins from a football standpoint and an encouraging force as Collins recovers from his own knee ligament damage.

New York was 29th in total defense in 2014, according to ESPN.com, so that side of the ball has to improve considerably for the Giants to have any hope of returning to the playoffs off a three-year hiatus.