The Giants didn’t pay for certainty when they brought in Najee Harris. They paid for the possibility that a proven runner, coming off a torn Achilles, could still give them real snaps at a bargain price.
That’s the whole story behind Harris’ one-year deal with New York in mid-August. The contract came in at the veteran minimum, $1.215 million, with no guaranteed money. For a back who had stacked four straight 1,000-yard seasons, that kind of number tells you exactly how much the injury shaped the market.
And yet Harris still made the 53-man roster.
New York is getting a player with a strong track record from his Pittsburgh days, where he piled up 4,373 rushing yards across four seasons and topped 1,000 yards every year from 2021 through 2024. He also never missed a game during that stretch, which is why his availability once looked like one of his biggest selling points. Then came the setback that changed everything: he tore his Achilles in Week 3 last season with the Chargers.
Before the injury, Harris had logged just 15 carries for 61 yards in three games for Los Angeles in 2025. That’s the version of the player the Giants were able to buy low on - a former lead back turned reclamation project because of the medical red flag.
His role in New York is straightforward. Cam Skattebo is the clear lead back, but the Giants aren’t planning to run him into the ground right away.
Skattebo’s rookie season ended with an open fracture of his right ankle, and he had still produced 617 total yards and seven touchdowns as a fourth-round rookie before getting hurt. The Giants want that workload managed early, which makes Harris’ presence more than just roster filler.
He gives them a different look, too. Harris is the kind of back who can handle early-down work and short-yardage carries, which fits alongside Skattebo’s downhill style. Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary are also in the room, giving the Giants a four-man group to sort through.
Harris doesn’t sound like a player who sees this as a step down. He told Athlon Sports he arrived with “a chip on my shoulder” after how his Chargers stint ended.
There’s still the obvious question hanging over all of it: the Achilles. Harris got his first live action since the tear in the preseason, carrying 11 times for 39 yards and catching a 20-yard pass in the Giants’ 23-6 win over the Jets. It wasn’t electric, but it was a start, and at this stage that’s the part that matters most.
John Harbaugh said Harris arrived in good shape and kept getting better during camp, which is the kind of update New York needed before leaning on him for any meaningful role.
Week 1 against Dallas will be the first real test. If the injury no longer defines him, the Giants may have landed a former Pro Bowl runner for almost nothing.
If not, the deal cost them very little. That’s the kind of low-risk swing teams dream about when the price is this low.
In Other News...
Giants Backfield Suddenly Feels Less Settled Than Week 1 Suggests
The Giants backfield picture looks a lot less tidy than a simple Week 1 depth chart might suggest. Cam Skattebo sits at the top, but New York listed Najee Harris, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary as co-second running backs, a sign the team is still sorting out how it wants to divide the work behind its lead option.
Harris has been working his way back after missing most of last season with an injury, and he was active in the preseason finale as his role kept growing. The wrinkle for the Giants is that they also do not have a running back on the practice squad after final roster cuts, so any shift in the rotation will have to come from the players already on hand. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Fans All Noticed The Same Thing In New Najee Harris Photos
Najee Harris arrived in New York after a strong showing in tryouts and a one-year contract with the Giants, bringing a fresh layer of intrigue to a backfield that always draws attention. His conditioning helped make the case for the deal, and the veteran running back now enters the season with a chance to carve out a role while giving the Giants another experienced option on offense.
Fans, though, have been focused on something far less schematic in recent photos of Harris. More than a year after the fireworks accident on July 4, 2025 that sent him to John Muir Hospital for treatment of a superficial eye injury, the visible scarring has sparked plenty of speculation about how serious the damage was and what it means now, even as Harris moves forward in a new uniform. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Just Closed The Book On A Once-Promising Receiver Path
A once-promising receiver path in New York came to an abrupt stop when Darius Slayton was released after a disappointing preseason and reports that he was on track to be a healthy scratch in Week 1. For a Giants offense trying to sort out its long-term direction, the move signaled a clean break from a player who had spent years as part of the conversation at wide receiver, even if the fit never fully settled into place.
Head coach John Harbaugh framed the decision as one rooted in where the Giants are headed rather than a judgment on Slaytons past. That leaves the next chapter open for a receiver who should draw interest around the league, with teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders and Miami Dolphins among those likely to take a look as the Giants move on without him. [Read more 🡒]