Last year’s New York Giants were a sad group offensively. Quarterback Daniel Jones (knee) played just six games before tearing his ACL — further neutering an already shaky passing game — leaving running back Saquon Barkley as the only needle mover. Defenses knew that, too, keying on Barkley, who did his best to make chicken salad, turning 288 touches into 1,242 yards and 10 of the team’s 25 offensive TDs.
Unfortunately for the G-Men, Barkley signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, leaving general manager Joe Schoen to try and piece things together with an running backs room of veteran Devin Singletary and a pair of fifth-round picks in Eric Gray (2023) and Tyrone Tracy Jr. (2024). Further eroding the outlook for this group is Schoen’s desire to get a read on Jones. Can he stay healthy? Can he excel with what they hope is a true No. 1 wide receiver in sixth overall pick Malik Nabers? Is he the guy?
Managing Jones was the order of the day since head coach Brain Daboll arrived, but it sounds like they’ll be looking at 2024 as an audition to see if Jones is their quarterback of the future. With that in mind, let’s look at New York’s options at running back.
Devin Singletary
Schoen and Daboll reached into their shared past with the Buffalo Bills and signed Singletary to a three-year, $16.5 million deal. Singletary, who spent last season with the Houston Texans, averaged 1,031 total yards and five touchdowns during his four years with the Bills. His lone campaign with Houston was much the same: 1,091 total yards, four TDs. In terms of durability, the veteran has missed just one game since his rookie season and has averaged 13.6 touches per game in his career.
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That last number can be viewed two ways. Optimistically, you can say even after five years and, at age 27, Motor should have plenty left in the tank. On the flip side, no team has viewed him as a true bell cow, even though he was signed to replace Barkley, who averaged 20.6 touches per outing in 2023. Given that Daboll knows Singletary from their Bills days, odds are he’ll continue to utilize him in the mid-teens range and look for someone down the depth chart to step up — a year ago, the Giants’ top four rushers were Barkley and their three QBs.
Eric Gray
With last year’s backup RB Matt Breida unsigned, the Giants will be looking at a pair of young backs to claim the role. Gray was a fifth-round pick last season that saw limited snaps from scrimmage (23 touches, 70 yards in 13 games) and occasional work as both a punt and kickoff returner. Despite the small sample size, the Oklahoma product likely has first crack at claiming the spot behind Singletary (barring a late signing) as he has a year under his belt in Daboll’s offense and had some success as a one-cut back with the Sooners.
Tyrone Tracy Jr.
After tabbing Gray in Round 5 last year, the G-Men used their fifth-round pick this April on Tracy, who is a bit of an interesting prospect. He’s new to the position, having converted from receiver before his final year at Purdue, so there’s opportunity for growth there as he acclimates to the role. He’s on the older side for a rookie, turning 25 in November, but he has some power and ability to make defenders miss in the open field. He’ll absolutely have a chance to unseat Gray as RB2 in camp.
Fantasy football outlook
If you believe what the front office has been saying on HBO’s Hard Knocks, this is a make-or-break year for Jones in Gotham, and the team intends to let him run the show to see if he rises to the occasion. This certainly sounds like an offense that will skew to the passing game, and their attempts to bolster the line and give Jones weapons while letting Barkley walk in free agency suggests that is indeed the plan.
While not a sexy addition, Singletary is rock solid. He held off draft picks for years in Buffalo and relegated RB Dameon Pierce to a secondary option in Houston last year. He’s tough, durable, and someone you can pencil in for 1,000-plus total yards and a handful of touchdowns. That’s a solid RB3. Beyond that, the winner of Gray/Tracy would have appeal as an inseason addition were Singletary to miss time.
