This fall, the New York Giants will be entering a season for the first time since 2017 without star running back Saquon Barkley.
The team’s approach to running back has gravitated to the ‘committee’ method where there is no top back and the hot hand usually gets fed.
The depth chart at running back heading into the summer reads as follows: Devin Singletary, Eric Gray, Gary Brightwell, rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr., Jashaun Corbin, and one other name — former Columbia star Dante Miler.
Of this group, the Giants are anxious to see what the rookies, Tracy and Miller, can bring to the offense.
Tracy is a former wide receiver who switched to running back while Miller played out his college eligibility at South Carolina after excelling in the Ivy League.
“You tell them about Columbia, and they automatically assume you’re super-smart and these different type of things,’’ Miller told the New York Post recently, “and then you say ‘South Carolina’ and they go, ‘Oh.’ So you get the best of both worlds when it comes to that.’”
What the Giants are most interested in is Miller’s burst, which earned him the nickname “Turbo.” They would love to have another back who could take it to the house.
At 5-foot-9 and 200 pounds, Miller is a compact runner with powerful legs who believes he can play at the NFL level.
“No doubt in my mind I can play at this level,” he said. “Not even a doubt.”
Miller, who missed the draft due to an eligibility snafu with the NCAA, has attracted the Giants’ eye but is still in the process of selling himself as a player.
“You look at the film and you see an explosive person,” Miller said. “Wherever I go, that’s what I bring to the table, I bring explosive plays, because that’s the name of my game.”
There are some who don’t quite see it, but Miller will remind them that he can squat over 700 pounds and there’s more to his game than meets the eye.
“You can say the size thing, but you won’t find a back that’s bigger than me that’s stronger than me, because I’m strong. I’m very strong,” he said. “I’m not one of those guys — I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, or do any of those types of things. I feel like if you do what you need to do you reap the benefits of that.”
