Jamon Brown: 5 things to know about new Giants offensive lineman

Sometimes you just plain get lucky. With the top priority in the NFL’s waiver claim hierarchy, the New York Giants might just have gotten very lucky on Wednesday when they were awarded guard Jamon Brown off waivers from the Los Angeles Rams.

When the Giants got Brown from the Rams I got this message from a long-time NFL talent evaluator:

“Big sleeper - expect him to take over right guard before season ends.”

The Giants, with 33-year-old John Greco having taken over at right guard for the benched Patrick Omameh, snapped up the 25-year-old Brown. In all likelihood, the 6-foot-4, 340-pound 2015 third-round pick who lost his after starting the season by serving a two-game suspension, will be in the Giants’ starting lineup before the season is over.

The four-year veteran is in the final year of his rookie contract, so the Giants get the last half of the season to determine whether or not Brown can help them going forward.

To learn more about Brown, I turned to Brandon Bate of SB Nation’s Rams website, Turf Show Times. Here is what Bate told me.

Ed: Why did he not get his job back?

Brandon: Put quite simply, this had very little to do with Jamon - who started every game at right guard for the Rams in 2017 - and everything to do with the fact that his replacement, Austin Blythe, excelled while he was sidelined (suspension). It was a question the coaching staff received almost immediately following their Week 2 win, when Jamon was scheduled to return, and it was a situation where they stuck with Blythe based on his level of play in the first two weeks. Had Blythe struggled, the Rams (and their fans) couldn’t have been more pleased to see him return.

Ed: How surprising was it to see the Rams let him go? Why do you believe they did so?

Brandon: Very surprised. I think that most anyone who follows the team close enough realized that cap room was going to have to be made in order to sign Dante Fowler -- but I’m not sure anyone figured that would come via Brown’s release. The Rams may have a great O-line in 2018, but it wasn’t always that way...so seeing a solid player walk came as a surprise to just about every fan, I’d imagine. As for “why,” I think it’s primarily the aforementioned level of play from Blythe, but also a growing confidence in some of their younger depth players along the offensive front. Trust that letting him go wasn’t an easy decision by any stretch though.

Ed: Is he a starting-caliber player who could be a part of the solution to rebuilding the Giants offensive line?

Brandon: Absolutely. I know the Giants have struggled up front but they got a good one today. I’m not sure how long it’ll take the Giants to get him up to speed, but he’s a starting-caliber player, for sure. Going into this season, I expected him to be making every start at RG for the Rams, as he did in 2017. Don’t let his release, or the suspension, fool you. He’s a solid player, and I’m sure this wasn’t an easy decision for the staff.

Sean McVay said as much leading up to Week 3. When asked about Blythe’s play and Brown’s impending return, his response: “We feel like we’ve got two starting caliber players in Austin and Jamon.”

Ed: Give us a scouting report. Strengths? Weaknesses?

Brandon: He’s struggled in the run game at times, but has proven to be a very strong pass blocker. To be fair though, the entire right side of the Rams’ line was struggling in run blocking at one time. And that’s not to say he’s a poor run blocker, because he’s certainly come a long way since his rookie year.

Take PFF grades for what they are, but if you’re buying what they’re selling, Brown ranked 11th out of all offensive guards as a pass blocker in the final three weeks of the 2017 season (in which he allowed 0 QB pressures).

You’re certainly more familiar with what the Giants are working with at guard, but Jamon is a very well-rounded player, and one worthy of a starting spot on just about any NFL roster.

Ed: I know he had the suspension. What kind of person is he? What should we know about him away from the field?

The suspension, like his release, was a surprise to just about everybody -- so don’t let that alarm you. Jamon appears to have been a great teammate, and I’m guessing he’ll be missed by both staff and players alike. A quick glance at his twitter account will tell you that he’s a spiritual man, a positive person, and a philanthropist. Honestly, he seems like one of the nicest people on Earth.

McVay spoke on his release on Wednesday. I think he summed it up nicely: “But really, what a class act...unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out this year, but can’t say enough good things about just the quality of the human being. He’s got a lot of good tape out there and we’re hopeful that he catches on and has a long, good career ahead of him. But, that was tough.”