The Giants’ backfield has turned into the strangest storyline in a season full of them, and the latest twist is another change at running back. After a rough Week 6 loss to the New Orleans Saints, the team is releasing Najee Harris, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
“Source: The Giants are releasing RB Najee Harris, another RB shakeup,” Rapoport reported Tuesday morning.
That move comes after a weekend in which the Giants’ usage was already hard to follow. Cam Skattebo didn’t get a touch in Week 6, then New York leaned on Harris, Tyrone Tracy, and Devin Singletary instead.
Even with Harris seemingly in line for a bigger role because of Skattebo’s benching, he barely saw the ball. He finished with four carries for two yards against a Saints defense that had been vulnerable against the run.
Tracy got six carries and managed just 18 yards, while Singletary added four carries for 14 yards. As a group, the Giants never found any rhythm on the ground.
The only real spark came from elsewhere: two J.J. McCarthy scrambles accounted for 26 rushing yards, and a Darnell Mooney rush went for 20, both of which outpaced the Giants’ backs.
Now the 3-2-1 Giants move on without Harris after six games, with Skattebo, Tracy, and Singletary left in the room. Skattebo should be back in the mix, and Tracy’s involvement seems secure too after he put together a line that included two catches for 27 yards and a touchdown, plus a rushing score in the loss to New Orleans. Singletary figures to remain part of the rotation as well.
Still, this is shaping up as another week-to-week guessing game. Unless one back separates from the pack, the Giants’ running back pecking order looks like it will keep changing from game to game.
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