John Harbaugh has made his preference plain: he wants to run the football. The Giants have also been clear about the direction they’re taking, and the pieces they’ve added point to a backfield built to do more than just survive.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Cam Skattebo headline that group, and they arrive with different skill sets that give the Giants some real options. Tracy has stacked up back-to-back 1,000-yard scrimmage seasons.
Skattebo, as a rookie last year, scored seven touchdowns and totaled more than 600 yards of offense in eight games. That contrast matters.
They are not built to do the same job, and that’s exactly the appeal.
The depth behind them only strengthens the idea that this doesn’t need to be a one-man show. Devin Singletary, Eric Gray and Patrick Ricard are also in the mix, while Francis Mauigoa was taken with a top-10 pick. Put all of that together, and Harbaugh has a room that can stress defenses in different ways.
Tracy gives the offense a runner who can create space and keep drives alive. Skattebo brings a different edge, one rooted in contact and punishment.
Ricard adds another layer, especially when he’s leading the way for either back. The best version of this group isn’t built around asking one player to handle 25 carries every week.
It’s built around matching touches to strengths and keeping legs fresh when the game wears on.
There is still a long way to go before this becomes a proven strength. The offensive line has to show it can create lanes when the games actually count, and Mauigoa is still a rookie, with camp carrying only so much weight before an NFL Sunday arrives. But the outline is there.
The Giants have spent too long hoping one back could fix everything. This setup gives them a chance to be physical without tipping their hand every snap, and that kind of balance can change the way an offense functions.
In Other News...
Giants Just Sent A Clear Message About John Michael Schmitz
John Michael Schmitz has been one of the more closely watched young Giants as the offseason has unfolded, and the noise around him has not matched the teams actual behavior. Pro Football Focus may not have been kind to his standing, but the Giants have not shown any real signs of wavering on him as their starting center, and that matters more than outside grading when a team is building its line for the coming season.
The clearest hint came in the draft, when New York passed on taking a center altogether. For a position that often draws plenty of insurance policy moves, that is a meaningful vote of confidence in Schmitz and a reminder that the Giants appear ready to let him keep owning the job. The question now is less about whether the team believes in him than how far that belief extends once games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Greg Newsome II Is Making Giants Camp More Intense Than Expected
The Giants defense has turned training camp into a far sharper test than the offense probably expected, with the secondary in particular making every rep feel competitive. Greg Newsome II, brought in as a free agent to battle for a starting job opposite Paulson Adebo, has been right in the middle of that edge, and the intensity has been noticeable enough to spill over into the kind of moments that remind everyone this is still camp, even if it does not always look that way.
Newsome and Jaxson Dart later moved past a sideline dustup, and the cornerback came away praising the atmosphere and the players around him. Deonte Banks is also part of that crowded mix at corner, adding another layer to a spot battle that already has the secondary pushing the whole unit forward, which is exactly the sort of problem the Giants would rather have in August than try to manufacture later. [Read more 🡒]
Evan Neals Giants Opportunity Is Starting To Feel Like A Final Verdict
Evan Neals path with the Giants has already taken a sharp turn from where it once seemed headed. After the team declined his fifth-year option but brought him back on a one-year deal under new head coach John Harbaugh, Neal was shifted from tackle to guard in hopes of finding a better fit and a clearer way to contribute.
Training camp, though, has not given him much of a foothold. Neal has been getting limited work and has spent most of his time with the third team, which is a tough place for a former first-round pick trying to reestablish himself. Insider Dan Duggan has pointed out that it is hard to see how Neal can make a real push for a roster spot, and with the competition around him moving ahead, his Giants future is starting to look more like a test than an opportunity. [Read more 🡒]