Tyrone Tracy Jr. has spent the last two seasons making a strong case that the Giants are underselling him.
He entered the league as a fifth-round pick, got tagged as a complementary back, and then went out and cleared 1,000 scrimmage yards in each of his first two NFL seasons. That includes 2025, when he was giving up early-down work to a rookie for half the year. For a player listed as RB2 heading into 2026, the production tells a much louder story.
Tracy’s rookie year in 2024 gave the first hint. He ran for 895 yards and five touchdowns on 192 carries, while adding 38 catches for 284 yards. That rushing total was the second-best by a rookie running back in Giants history, trailing only Saquon Barkley’s 2018 season.
He followed it up in 2025 with 740 rushing yards, 36 receptions and four total touchdowns, again topping 1,000 scrimmage yards even with a stretch of the season spent behind Cam Skattebo. Pro Football Focus gave Tracy a 70.2 overall grade, which ranked 35th among 55 qualified running backs. That’s solid work for a player the roster still seems to view as a side piece.
The receiving production may be the most interesting part of his profile. Tracy caught 36 of 43 targets in 2025, a sharp rate that fits with his background as a wide receiver at Purdue.
And yet third downs were the one area where he played under half of the Giants’ offensive snaps last season. For a back whose hands are his cleanest NFL-ready trait, that usage stands out.
That’s where the fit with John Harbaugh’s run-first offense under coordinator Matt Nagy becomes important. The scheme calls for backs who can flex out and win on option routes, and Tracy looks built for exactly that job. The Giants have had that tool sitting there, and the system finally seems ready to use it.
Skattebo is the presumed starter, but his path back matters here. His rookie season ended in Week 8 after a dislocated right ankle, fractured fibula and ruptured deltoid ligament required season-ending surgery. Before the injury, he had 617 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns on 125 touches in eight games, a physical rookie stretch the Giants clearly liked.
Harbaugh said in the spring that Skattebo is on schedule and should participate “early on in camp,” according to Pro Football Talk. Still, “early in camp” is not the same thing as being ready for a full 17-game workload right away. That gives Tracy a real chance to handle more of the early load than the depth chart suggests.
The Giants appear to want a two-back setup, with Skattebo bringing the power and Tracy supplying the burst and passing-game value. In theory, that’s thunder and lightning. In practice, Tracy may be the one who gives them the most reliable snaps while Skattebo works back.
For now, the label says backup. The numbers say something bigger.
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