Michigan State Football: Brian Lewerke lands huge opportunity with Giants

Two years removed from the Brian Lewerke era, Michigan State football is experiencing quite the quarterback battle during fall camp.

Although his career didn’t finish as strongly as it began, fans would probably love to have prime Lewerke production in 2021 as Mel Tucker leads the Spartans into his first full season.

It was tough to watch Lewerke’s injury really take a toll on him as he went from All-Big Ten passer in 2017 to a hampered quarterback lacking confidence and having a serious turnover problem in 2018 and parts of 2019. He finished his senior season on a decent note after a nightmarish 2018, but it wasn’t what anyone expected.

Lewerke was one of the most polarizing players in recent memory as he was either beloved or despised — although everyone liked him as a person.

Well, it looks like the athletic quarterback is getting another shot after going undrafted in 2020 and signing a free agent deal with the Patriots. He didn’t stick with New England, but he may have a new home with the New York Giants as of Sunday night.

Can Brian Lewerke make the Giants’ roster?

The Giants do not have great depth at the quarterback position which is why they went out and signed Lewerke but this comes after their first preseason game which was an ugly 12-7 loss to the Jets.

Although Daniel Jones is the clear projected starter after being drafted a few years ago, the depth and talent behind him is lacking. Clayton Thorson (a former Northwestern star) and Mike Glennon are backing him up and if the first preseason game was any indication, neither of these guys have what it takes to be QB2 in 2021.

Thorson finished the game 5-for-16 with 72 yards and a touchdown and Glennon was 3-for-7 with 20 yards. These two quarterbacks combined to complete just over 33 percent of their passes with a 4.0 yards per attempt average. Lewerke should come in and at least push one of them for a spot on the roster.

As it stands right now, Lewerke is listed as the fourth-string quarterback on ESPN even before he’s learned the offense or played a single game. If he can show even flashes of what he did in college as a dual-threat, the coaching staff will have a tough time saying that Thorson or Glennon provide exponentially better projected production.

Lewerke needs to find his confidence again and he might just surprise some people this preseason, especially since the Giants’ depth at quarterback is a dumpster fire.