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March 10, 2007 -- The Giants went one week into free agency without a signing - or anything close - but yesterday went the old-fashioned trade route to land the running back they expect will back up new starter Brandon Jacobs.

In a one-for-one swap, the Giants acquired Reuben Droughns from the Browns in exchange for underachieving receiver Tim Carter, a 2002 second-round draft pick who never developed into much of a target.
This is the first major transaction for first-year GM Jerry Reese and is contingent on both players passing physicals with their new teams.
Droughns turns 29 on Aug. 21 and became expendable in Cleveland after the Browns on Wednesday signed Jamal Lewis. In back-to-back seasons, Droughns gained 1,240 yards for the Broncos in 2004 and 1,232 yards for the Browns in 2005. Last season, he gained 758 yards for the Browns.


At 5-foot-11 and 220 pounds, he's a power back and not the change-of-pace runner the Giants wanted to utilize along with bruising Jacobs.
"The two teams in the Super Bowl this year had a two-back system, so we're going to complement each other very well," Droughns said on Sirius NFL Radio.
Carter, 27, in 53 games for the Giants caught 72 passes for 967 yards and three touchdowns. A speedster, he never materialized as a deep threat, battling injuries and inconsistency. Last season, he played in all 16 games and stated eight of them after Amani Toomer went down with a knee injury. Carter managed 22 receptions.
The Giants now need a legitimate No. 3 receiver. Sinorice Moss endured an injury-filled rookie year, and there's no one else on the roster the team can count on for that role. Former Rams wideout Kevin Curtis has visited, but at the moment wants to be paid like a starter.


Droughns has three years remaining on his contract, and his salary of $1.25 million in 2007 is far less expensive than Dominic Rhodes would have cost. The Giants brought in Rhodes for a visit but the former Colts runner was priced too high for the Giants. Rhodes yesterday signed a two-year, $7.5 million deal with the Raiders.
"I realize the perception is that we haven't done anything through the first week of free agency because we haven't signed any unrestricted free agents," Reese said.

"The opposite is true. We have been working very hard to do what's best for this franchise. The fact is, we had a few guys we had targeted that would have made sense for us under the right circumstances. A couple of those simply didn't work out, but there is a whole lot of the free-agency period left and the draft and the rest of the offseason for us to continue to build this roster, and we're going to work smartly in doing that."
This is the first straight-up trade of veteran players by the Giants since July 12, 1984, when they sent linebacker Brad Van Pelt to the Vikings for running back Tony Galbreath.