Devin Singletary gave the Giants a reminder of what he can still do on Saturday, but it didn’t exactly settle anything about where he stands.
In New York’s 13-10 preseason loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the veteran running back flashed on a 40-yard catch and added a nine-yard run. He also lost five yards on his other two carries, which kept the whole afternoon from looking like a clean statement performance.
Still, there was enough there for FanSided’s Michael Haney to put Singletary among the day’s “biggest winners.”
“Singletary is slamming the door shut on the Giants’ battle for the third running back spot,” Haney wrote.
That’s one read on it. Another is that Singletary’s roster picture remains cloudy even after the splash play.
He’s heading into his eighth season, turns 29 in September, and reworked his contract this offseason to the veteran minimum. There’s no sign the Giants are actively trying to trade or release him, but he also doesn’t feel like a sure thing to stick.
The bigger issue is role. Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy are clearly the top two backs, and Jaxson Dart is part of the run game picture too. The preseason opener showed that neither John Harbaugh nor Matt Nagy is shy about letting Dart run when the situation calls for it.
That leaves Singletary in an awkward spot. He’s experienced and inexpensive, but the Giants don’t appear to have a clear weekly use for him.
He isn’t a returner. He isn’t being leaned on as a power back.
He isn’t being asked to be an extra blocker.
There’s also the coaching change to consider. Brian Daboll, who coached Singletary in Buffalo, is no longer there, and the fit that made sense in 2024 was built on that familiarity. Singletary has not played for Harbaugh or Nagy, and his workload in the first preseason game was thin: only four snaps despite being healthy.
That kind of usage says plenty.
None of this reads as a knock on Singletary the player. He still looks capable of being a solid backup. But if the Giants aren’t giving him chances this summer, the question becomes simple: why keep him around, especially when the financial commitment is so light?
As of Monday morning, it was still unclear how much the Giants’ starters would play against the Dolphins on Saturday. Skattebo had four carries against the Vikings, and Tracy had two before the backups took over. A workout was also scheduled for Monday, though no signing had been made by the time of publication.
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