Figure the next time you will see running back Andre Brown on the field is Nov. 10, when the Giants face the Raiders at MetLife Stadium. The Giants are expected to put Brown on injured reserve/designated to return, meaning he will not be able to play until the ninth game of the season.
The first day to make such a move was yesterday, but the Giants didn’t make it, though they are expected to within the next week. Given that the Giants have their bye in Week 9, they can put Brown on short-term injured reserve any time before the second game, and he would still miss the same amount of time.
Brown let everyone know the Giants’ thinking, as he broke the news on Twitter, writing “See y’all week 8.’’
Brown broke a bone in his left leg — the same leg he broke last season — in the preseason finale Thursday in New England. The estimated recovery time is 4-to-6 weeks, because his break is not as serious as the fractured fibula he suffered Nov. 25 last season against the Packers. If he goes on short-term injured reserve, Brown would be eligible to begin practicing after the sixth game of the season but must miss the first eight games.
A team can use the short-term injured reserve only once in a season. They could use it on offensive lineman David Diehl, who is out following thumb surgery, but it appears Brown will be the more logical choice. If Brown goes on injured reserve, he will not count on the 53-man roster.