The Giants’ backfield mess has pushed Devin Singletary right back into the conversation.
That was already true before final cuts this past summer, when questions about how he fit into a crowded running back room were starting to surface. Now, more than a third of the way into the 2026 season, New York needs him more than it ever has. In Sunday’s disappointing loss to the Saints, Singletary led Giants running backs with 31 snaps.
Cam Skattebo’s benching opened the door. So did a game plan that leaned heavily on the pass.
Singletary made the most of the extra work, finishing with 33 yards on five touches - 14 rushing yards and 19 receiving. Skattebo, who has had turnover issues, was barely involved, playing only six snaps and not getting a carry.
“Nobody’s really taken the bull by the horns,” Giants coach John Harbaugh told reporters. “Motor really hadn’t had the chance to take the bull by the horns, so we thought we’d get him in the mix, too.”
That line, and the broader Skattebo situation, has already blown up online. The bigger question is what happens next, and whether Singletary can turn this moment into something more.
The short answer is that he is not the long-term fix. Singletary just turned 29 and is in the last year of his contract. The idea of the Giants targeting a running back in next spring’s draft was floating around well before Skattebo was benched, and that remains the cleaner answer for the future.
But the Giants are not playing for next year right now. At 3-2-1, they sit alone atop the NFC East, with a real path to the playoffs. That path looks even better given the Eagles’ quarterback issues; Jalen Hurts is out for the season with blood clots in his lungs, and the recently released Andy Dalton turned down their offer to come back.
Singletary can handle a role. He’s a useful backup, and there’s nothing wrong with him sharing the load in a rotation.
What he does not look like, at this stage, is an above-average starter. His yards per carry have fallen in each of the last four seasons, and he is not a dependable difference-maker as a receiver, either.
The Giants have been here before. Last October, Singletary and Tyrone Tracy Jr. split touches after Skattebo got hurt, and that kind of arrangement could come back into play. Tracy appears to have gotten himself out of Harbaugh’s doghouse, with Skattebo now in that spot.
Still, it is fair to wonder whether that really solves anything. Trading for help does not look especially clean, either. The Giants also have Phil Mafah, a 2025 Cowboys seventh-round pick, stashed on the practice squad.
For now, the safest move may be the simplest one: give Skattebo one more chance and hope Sunday’s mess actually landed. If not, Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy may have to open things up for backup quarterback J.J. McCarthy and live with the risks that come with letting him scramble.
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Head coach John Harbaugh pushed back on the idea that Skattebo was being outright benched, saying the usage came down to game situations and an attempt to spread reps around the backfield. Skattebo, though, has already acknowledged he felt the fallout from the turnover, and the bigger question now is whether this is just a temporary reset or the start of the Giants looking for a different answer at running back. [Read more 🡒]