Could Giants’ rookie running back steal the starting job?

The New York Giants filled in the void left by Saquon Barkley’s departure by signing veteran Devin Singletary to a three-year, $16 million contract. While he is projected to be the team’s primary running back for the 2024 season, the door is now open for a rookie to potentially have a huge role in the Giants offense if he impresses in training camp and preseason.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. could find his way into a big role with the Giants in 2024

The Giants selected Purdue running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. with their fifth-round pick in this year’s edition of the draft. Initially a wide receiver during his first three collegiate seasons at Iowa, he made the transition to a running back when he transferred to Purdue in 2022.

His senior year at Purdue was a breakout one, as he accumulated 716 rushing yards in 113 attempts and scored eight touchdowns while also hauling in 19 receptions for 132 yards. His standout performance led to him being named to the Third-team All-Big Ten.

New York is looking to expand their offensive scheme this season after performing toward the bottom of the league in terms of true offensive output. Adding a dynamic back like Tracy to the mix can give quarterback Daniel Jones another option to diversify the game plan.

Tracy’s dynamic ability could be huge for the Giants

As of now, it is unclear what role Tracy will have this upcoming season. The Giants still have promising running back Eric Gray at their disposal, who they drafted last offseason but saw limited action during the regular season. Gray is primed to be the potential RB2 behind Singletary on the depth chart, but Tracy’s ability to be a receiver could give him the edge as the secondary option, and potentially as the main option as the season progresses.

One of the things that made Barkley so valuable during his time with the Giants was that he excelled as a rusher and a receiver. In his career with the G-men, Barkley rushed for 5,211 yards with 35 rushing touchdowns and had 2,100 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. Utilizing Tracy in a similar role could give the Giants a huge boost that they are desperately searching for.

It is also not uncommon for teams to take dynamic backs with a late-round pick and turn them into key components of their offense, as Tony Pollard and Jamaal Williams are the most recent examples of that. It would take time for Tracy to become a player of that caliber, but he has the skill set to develop into a strong offensive weapon.

The Giants’ expectations are not high as a team coming into this season, but they could discover their running back of the future with Tracy if he can deliver a promising rookie campaign.