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The New York Giants have seemingly found their backup to all-world running back Saquon Barkley on the free-agent market.
According to ESPN’s Josina Anderson, former New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans running back Dion Lewis has agreed to terms on a one-year deal to join Big Blue.
Lewis Adds Much Needed Veteran Depth to the RB Position
There’s no denying that Saquon Barkley is one of, if not the best running back in all of football. However, Giants fans got an all too up close and personal view of what their offense would look like without the former Rookie of the Year manning their backfield a season ago. Spoiler alert, it was not good.
Players such as Wayne Gallman, Jon Hilliman, and even fullback Elijhaa Penny tried their best to fill the unfillable shoes of Barkley during his injury absence, unsurprisingly they fell well short. Hilliman struggled with fumbles, ultimately being cut.
Gallman, while not exceptional, actually performed quite admirably in place of Barkley, but a concussion led to him missing time of his own, and eventually led to him falling out of favor in New York and being jumped on the depth chart by journeyman Buck Allen, and becoming a healthy-scratch towards the latter part of the season.
Lewis’ Dual-Threat Abilities Will Be Much Welcomed in New York
It’s safe to say that the Tennessee Titans didn’t get their money’s worth when inking Lewis to a massive deal ahead of the 2018 season for $20 million, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry over his two-year tenure with the team.
With that said, he never quite got to showcase his true ability, as Derrick Henry was beginning to assert himself as one of the league’s most prolific runners, leading to Lewis manning a reserve role. Still, in 2018 Lewis did reel in an impressive 59 receptions, the most in his entire career. He’s also managed to catch 32-plus passes in three of his last five seasons.
Lewis is yet another under the radar signing by Dave Gettleman this offseason. The running back, just like Colt McCoy, Corey Coleman, and Cam Fleming, is far from a superstar, but still a serviceable reserve player who can serve as viable plug and play option if needed due to injury.
The Giants may have not landed the big-ticket free agent that many would have anticipated considering the abundance of spending money they entered free agency with, yet they continue to improve their roster with quality signings.
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