For the better part of the last decade, Saquon Barkley has been the lead back for the New York Giants offense, a player who picked up over 5,200 rushing yards and 2,100 receiving yards in his career.
Unfortunately, the Giants and Barkley couldn’t make things work, so the former’s desire to be a Giant for life and seal his legacy came to fruition. This was foreshadowed before the start of the 2023 training camp when the Giants couldn’t get Barkley’s signature on a new multiyear deal, their offers rebuked by the running back and his contract advisor.
While they did reach an understanding on a one-year, modified franchise tag, Barkley never seemed quite happy about having to play on that, and as the season wore on, it was clear that he was back with the Giants= for his teammates more than anything else.
Barkley is now with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Giants have moved on as well, signing Devin Singletary from the Houston Texans to athree-year contract worth $16.5 million with $9.5 million guaranteed. The expectation is that Singletary will be the lead back in the running back by-committee approach.
Devin Singletary: Singletary had a career-high in carries and rushing yards in 2023 with the Texans. He’s had three straight years of over 1,000 scrimmage yards and at least four scrimmage touchdowns.
Eric Gray: Gray spent his rookie year as a non-factor for the offense after being a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Tyrone Tracy: Tracy spent the first five years of his college career as a wide receiver with Iowa and Purdue. In his first year as a running back, Tracy was productive enough for the Boilermakers to warrant a fifth-round pick this year.
Jashaun Corbin: Corbin has been fairly irrelevant on the Giants since he joined as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He’ll be one of the longest-tenured pros in the backfield this preseason.
Dante Miller: Miller was a productive back with the Columbia Lions before transferring to South Carolina. After a mix-up with his eligibility, Miller became a free agent and signed with the Giants this past offseason.
Jacob Saylors: Saylors picked up over 500 rushing yards this past spring with the St. Louis Battlehawks before signing with the Giants after the season.
How much production can the Giants get from their running backs in 2024?
In 2023, the Giants’ running backs produced 1,660 scrimmage yards. After losing Barkley, Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell, and Deon Jackson, 1,563 yards of that production is gone.
The improved offensive line should help the Giants not only replace that production but improve it, even with less talent in the running back room. The explosive play potential wasn’t there last year, with just 12 carries that went 15+ yards, all of which came from Barkley.
The addition of Carmen Bricillo as the offensive line coach should have a ripple effect across the entire offense which seeks to create not only more explosive plays but also more consistent gains on the ground.
Dec 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants running back Eric Gray (20) in the tunnel against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Eric Gray vs Tyrone Tracy for RB2
The expectation for 2024 is that the Giants will have one of their younger running backs as the primary rotational piece behind Singletary.
Both Gray and Tracy provide versatility as rushers and receivers, which should help the offense open up schematically. Tracy’s experience playing receiver in college should allow the Giants to put him at receiver with a different back in the backfield.
I think Eric Gray will win this battle as the more complete back, but ideally, they all should get their chances.
Yes, the Giants lost a versatile back in Saquon Barkley, but to be frank, Barkley was more of a boom-or-bust type of runner with an injury history. In Singleycary, the Giants have someone with less tread on his tires and who has been more durable over his career.
While no one is going to confuse the two backs and their respective strengths, for what the Giants are likely to do on offense–they are gravitating toward more of a passing offense with an emphasis on slinging the ball down the field–this running backs group should be more than enough for the Giants to get by on.
Singletary wasn’t brought in as one of the top 15 highest-paid running backs to be a backup so his role is practically etched in stone heading into the season.
The depth in the room will be young which means more opportunities for mistakes but also a higher likelihood of one of the backups exceeding expectations.
Miller is a practice squad addition here simply because I’m not sold on his film yet and he needs to prove himself. In his limited snaps in the SEC for South Carolina, he underwhelmed.
Saylors had a strong year in the UFL but has been cut by multiple NFL teams before, I’m skeptical of him being able to play at the highest level.
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Publish date : 2024-07-20 12:00:03
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