It hurt seeing Saquon Barkley run for 200 yards in the divisional round against the Rams last weekend. Every Giants fan, even if it’s buried beneath their resentment, has a tinge of jealousy when they see Barkley break off multiple 40+ touchdowns in the same game.
No, Saquon Barkley wouldn’t have rushed for 2,000 yards with the Giants in 2024.
The Giants wouldn’t have been a playoff contender with Barkley in 2024. There were way too many holes on the roster.
But why did he have to do it in Eagles Green?
After reviewing an abysmal quarterback room, let’s take a look at how the Giants’ running backs fared in their first post-Saquon season.
Here’s how the grading system works:
A: Position group played at an elite level, likely with some pro-bowlers, all-pros, and quality depth
B: Position group was a positive, pro-bowl alternates and quality depth
C: Position group was mostly positive, although no pro bowlers or game changers
D: Position group was unplayable at times, with very little depth, and a negative impact on games
F: Position group was mostly unplayable at the NFL level
New York Giants Position Group Report Card: Running Backs
The Room
- Tyrone Tracy Jr
- Devin Singletary
- Eric Gray
- Dante “Turbo” Miller
The Giants running backs as a whole had similar numbers in 2024 than in 2023. Albeit with pedestrian numbers, the Giants feel like they found a starting caliber running back in rookie Tyrone Tracy, Jr. He may not be as talented as Barkley or become a 2,000-yard rusher, but the team was able to effectively run the ball with him in spurts until injuries decimated the offensive line.
They’re modest numbers, but Joe Schoen’s running back by committee approach seemed to work at the beginning of the season until injuries on the offensive line began to pile up. The resources that were debatably supposed to be for Barkley were allocated to improving the offensive line.
A running game is intertwined with an offensive line’s efficiency and it’s no secret the Giants offensive line has struggled for the better part of the last decade. Schoen’s theory is that a team can find productive talent in the mid-rounds and pair them with a quality offensive line that controls the line of scrimmage.
It worked to an extent, the Giants’ overall rushing metrics from 2023 to 2024 looked like this:
2023 Season:
- Rushing Yards per Game: 110.7 yards
- Rushing Yards per Attempt: 4.7 yards
- Expected Points Added (EPA) per Rush: -0.11
2024 Season:
- Rushing Yards per Game: 144.8 yards
- Rushing Yards per Attempt: 4.6 yards
- Expected Points Added (EPA) per Rush: -.116
Grade: C Position group was mostly positive, although no pro bowlers or game changers
Tyrone Tracy Jr
Fifth rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr took the starting job from free-agent Devin Singletary in week 3 and never handed it back. He rushed for 892 yards, five touchdowns, and averaged 4.4 yards per carry in 13 starts. Though he had a glaring fumbling issue- two fumbles lost- it seems like the Giants’ found a quality back in the latter rounds of the draft.
Tracy was a wide receiver until his fifth collegiate season at Purdue in 2023. He made the position change because coaches warned him that he wouldn’t get drafted as a receiver. In his lone college season as a running back, he led the Big 10 with 6.3 yards per carry. Though he was an older prospect at 25, the Giants brass determined that he was worth the investment in the fifth round.
In Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks, Tracy had a breakout game, rushing for 129 yards on 18 carries, marking his first 100-yard game.
Overall, Tracy’s versatility as both a runner and receiver contributed significantly to the Giants’ offensive efforts throughout the 2024 season.
C: Position group was mostly positive, although no pro bowlers or game changers
(I teetered on giving Tracy a B, but he slowed down by the end of the season. We’ll call this one a C+/B-)
Devin Singletary
Last offseason, Singletary signed a 3-year, 16.5 million dollar contract in the wake of Barkley signing with the Eagles. He was a shifty, compact runner who is known for making defenders miss in tight spaces. While he wasn’t nearly the explosive runner as Barkley, Singletary was known for churning forward and limiting negative runs.
Initially, Singletary was designated as the starter and looked promising in week two against the Commanders. However, an early season groin injury sidelined him for two games, and rookie Tyrone Tracy, Jr took the starting job from him. Singletary only received 33 carries in his first seven games after returning from his groin injury.
Although Singletary is a reliable runner, Brian Daboll and the offense preferred the explosive element in Tracy’s running style in an offense where that was noticeably absent.
Singletary finished his first season in New York with 437 yards, four touchdowns, and 3.9 yards per carry.
C: The player was mostly positive, although no pro bowlers or game-changers
(This one is closer to a C-)
Eric Gray/ Dante Turbo Miller
The Giants drafted Eric Gray in the fifth round in the 2023 draft. In his rookie season, they forced him to return punts even though it was unnatural for him and he had no prior experience doing so. After that experiment failed, Gray saw very limited snaps as a rookie.
He was given opportunities during training camp to compete for the backup running back job but never took advantage. He’s a smooth runner with limited breakaway speed who best fits a zone-dependent running scheme. Overall, Gray is a well-rounded, shifty back who relies on vision, balance, and elusiveness rather than raw speed or power. While not a game-changer, he is a reliable depth option who can contribute as a complementary piece in a backfield rotation.
Dante “Turbo” Miller is a speedback who thrives on getting to the edge and breaking long runs. If given the right scheme and space, he can be a dangerous weapon, but he likely profiles as a change-of-pace or special teams player rather than an every-down back.
D: Players were unplayable at times, had very little depth, and negative impact on games
Well-Prepared
Analyzing how Joe Schoen prepared the running back room depends on if you believed he should have kept Barkley or not. He didn’t keep Barkley, so that’s not reality.
The positional value defines Schoen’s tenure as the Giants’ General Manager thus far. In addition to letting Barkley walk in free agency, he also let safety Xavier McKinney walk for similar reasons- he just didn’t value the safety position enough to warrant an expensive contract.
Schoen’s process, another word that he floats around in his pressers, in addressing the running back room was solid. He used the resources at his disposal to fill holes on the offensive by signing John Runyan Jr and Jermaine Eluemunor, who both became instant starters and upgrades. Additionally, he signed Greg Van Roten during training camp to fill out the offensive line’s depth.
His vision was clear- building an effective offensive line is more important than a superstar running back.
Imagine if you had the superstar running back though?
Best Plays:
Here are the best plays from Giants running backs in 2024:
- Devin Singletary clinches a win against the Browns: https://twitter.com/bobbyskinner_/status/1837946229629517973?s=42
- Tyrone Tracy, Jr 45 yard touchdown to keep the Giants in the game against the Steelers: https://twitter.com/nickfalato/status/1851093101290397861?s=42
- Tyrone Tracy 40 yard run against the Colts: https://twitter.com/alexwilsonesm/status/1873435973696262288?s=42
Main Photo: Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The post New York Giants Position Group Report Card: Running Backs appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.