The Giants spent this week making a clear point: they are trying to add some thump to catch the Eagles.
New York brought in two names that should register in Philadelphia. One is Najee Harris, a running back with a bruising style and a big workload in his past. The other is linebacker Chandler Martin, a player Eagles fans will remember because Philadelphia cut him twice.
With Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy already set to headline the backfield, the Giants still went out and grabbed Harris off the open market. John Harbaugh’s new group also added Patrick Ricard earlier, and the collection of bodies now points to a run game built on power more than finesse.
Harris arrives with a résumé that still matters. He put together four straight 1,000-yard seasons in Pittsburgh, then had a quiet run with Jim Harbaugh’s San Diego Chargers last season before an Achilles injury ended that stretch. He managed just 61 yards on 15 carries there.
At 6-foot-1 and 242 pounds, Harris fits the mold of the kind of back Harbaugh has leaned on before. Derrick Henry is the obvious name, but the coach has also turned to Mark Ingram, Willis McGahee and Ricard over the years. That’s the profile New York seems to be chasing now.
Tracy brings more burst, but the combination of Skattebo, Ricard and Harris gives the Giants a group built to hammer away. Devin Singletary could be the odd man out as the depth chart shifts around the new additions.
Harris is still working back from that Achilles injury, but the Giants clearly see a player who could matter in the NFC East before long.
Martin’s path is different, but just as notable. He has Baltimore ties like Ricard, and his brief stops in Philadelphia make this move stand out. The second-year linebacker out of Memphis was cut twice by the Eagles, but he still brings value as a special teams piece and a depth option if healthy.
For New York, it’s another small step in a larger effort to build a roster that can stand up to the Eagles.
In Other News...
Cooper DeJean Practice Clip Has Eagles Fans Talking For The Wrong Reason
Joint practices usually provide the cleanest snapshot of where a roster stands before the games start counting, and one of the most watched matchups on the field Thursday in New England came with Cooper DeJean lined up across from DeMario Douglas. The Eagles defensive back entered the offseason with plenty of momentum after earning first-team All-Pro honors as a slot defender last season, so every rep against a quick, elusive receiver was going to draw attention from fans looking for clues about how Philadelphias secondary is coming together.
Douglas made the most of the spotlight, winning all three of their 1-on-1 reps by snapping off sharp cuts and exploding into separation, and the clip moved quickly through social media as Eagles followers reacted to what they saw. It is still only a practice setting, of course, but when a player with DeJeans reputation looks out of sync in a widely shared drill, it is the kind of thing that tends to linger until the pads come on and the matchup gets another chance to play out. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Bubble Players Suddenly Feel Like Real Trade Candidates
With roster cutdown day looming on Aug. 30, the Eagles are at the point in camp where the back end of the roster starts to matter as much as the headline names. The usual churn of preseason competition has turned into a real evaluation of who can help Philadelphia now, who has a future here, and who might bring back something useful if the front office decides to move a player instead of simply waive him.
That is why a few bubble cases suddenly carry more trade intrigue than they did a week ago. Andy Dalton, Smael Mondon Jr., Hollywood Brown, Jakorian Bennett and Fred Johnson all sit in different spots on the depth chart, but each comes with a mix of team need, contract situation and performance questions that could make them attractive to another club before the deadline. Nothing is settled yet, but this is the part of camp when a player can go from fighting for a roster spot to being discussed as a legitimate trade chip. [Read more 🡒]
Former Penn State Standout Sees Strong Eagles Camp Cut Short
Tariq Castro-Fields had been one of the more intriguing names in Eagles camp, trying to turn a strong summer into a legitimate push for a 53-man roster spot while working back from a heel injury. The former Penn State standout brought enough familiarity and upside to make him worth watching in a secondary that always seems to have room for another corner to force the issue.
Instead, Philadelphia moved Castro-Fields to injured reserve, which ends his training camp and likely his season before the real evaluation could even finish. The Eagles also waived/injured wide receiver Johnny Wilson while adding center Zeke Correll and wide receiver Brandon Hayes, a reminder of how quickly roster opportunities can shift at this stage of camp, especially for players trying to survive on the margins. [Read more 🡒]