Najee Harris has gone from afterthought to a real answer for the New York Giants’ backfield problem in a matter of weeks.
That’s the twist nobody saw coming earlier in the offseason, when the conversation centered on Cam Skattebo taking a second-year jump or Tyrone Tracy Jr. building on what he’s already shown. The Giants’ choice not to draft a running back in the spring only made it feel even more likely they’d lean on the runners already in the building.
Instead, Harris has pushed himself to the front of the line.
The former Steelers back, who had four 1,000-yard seasons in Pittsburgh, arrived in mid-August and wasted little time making his presence felt. He was healthy enough to get into the Giants’ Aug. 31 preseason finale, and that quick climb on the depth chart says plenty about how fast things have changed. For a player who was still being viewed as an unwanted free agent not long ago, the turnaround has been striking.
There’s also the fact that Harris has already moved past Devin Singletary, who had multiple big plays during the preseason. That alone would have been notable. Doing it while also jumping ahead of Skattebo and Tracy makes the situation much more interesting.
Skattebo and Tracy both came into the year with reasons to believe they’d matter. Tracy has flashed regularly through his first two seasons, and Skattebo impressed as a rookie. But Harris’ rise has forced a fresh look at where those two fit now, especially with the Giants carrying more uncertainty in the backfield than they expected.
Skattebo’s own comments haven’t helped calm that conversation either. He admitted that he considered retiring after last year’s leg injury, which only adds another layer to an already unsettled picture.
Harris is 28, so he isn’t some young player just starting to find his footing. He’s got wear and tear on him, but he also has the kind of track record that can quickly reshape a depth chart when the opportunity opens up. That’s exactly what has happened here.
Still, nobody is suggesting Harris is about to monopolize the offense. The Giants also have a healthy Jaxson Dart, and that matters when projecting how the carries will be split. But Harris has clearly positioned himself to be a major part of the plan, and the biggest question now is how much room is left for Tracy and Skattebo once the season starts.
That’s especially true with the Giants’ opener against the Cowboys next Sunday. The organization and Harbaugh should treat this season like a one-year audition for the top backs, with Singletary excluded from that discussion.
Singletary turned 29 on Thursday and is playing on the veteran minimum. Tracy is headed for free agency after next year, and Harbaugh didn’t draft Skattebo.
So the backfield has become one of the more intriguing spots on the roster in a hurry. Harris has already turned himself into the name to watch, and the next few weeks should show whether Tracy and Skattebo still have a real path to meaningful touches or whether Harris has already locked down the No. 1 job.
In Other News...
Giants Defense May Ride On One Veteran Fix Up Front
The Giants spent part of their offseason trying to steady the middle of a defense that got gashed too often against the run last season, and DJ Reader is the veteran brought in to help change that. At 32, he arrives with the kind of size and experience New York has been looking for up front, and the front office is banking on him to give the interior defensive line more resistance when opponents try to pound the ball between the tackles.
There is still some uncertainty attached to the move, though, because Readers recent play has not matched his best years and the Giants are asking for a bounce-back at a position where decline can show quickly. New York also added Tremaine Edmunds and Arvell Reese to the linebacker group, but the entire plan still hinges on whether Reader can hold the middle well enough to let those pieces work behind him. [Read more 🡒]
Eli Manning Hall Of Fame Debate Just Got More Complicated
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is changing the way it chooses its next class, trimming its selection committee from 50 members to 28 in an effort to address possible biases. Hall of Fame president and CEO Jim Porter said the overhaul is meant to strengthen the institutions traditions, but it also adds a fresh layer of intrigue to an already tricky process for players whose cases have long split opinion.
For Giants fans, that matters because Eli Manning remains one of the most debated modern candidates on the board. His rsum has been discussed for years, and now his path could be shaped by a smaller voting group as the Hall weighs candidates already generating plenty of disagreement. The new setup does not settle the argument around Manning, but it does make the next few elections even more worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Camp Shift Faces Its First Real Test Against Dallas
A noticeable change around Giants camp has been the tone under John Harbaugh, with Isaiah Likely pointing to a culture built more openly around hard work and preparation. The early emphasis has been on getting the group ready for Week 1 against Dallas, a fitting target for a team trying to sharpen its identity before the games start to count.
Greg Newsome II has leaned into that challenge, too, saying the intensity of camp has matched the size of the task ahead. For the Giants, the Cowboys are more than just an opponent on the schedule - they are the measuring stick for whether this new camp approach can translate once the season begins. [Read more 🡒]