Getty Free Agent RB Devonta Freeman
The New York Giants are clearly set atop their running back depth chart with former NFL rookie of the year and two-time 1,000-yard rusher, Saquon Barkley, leading the charge.
Behind Barkley, Wayne Gallman has served primarily as the team’s RB2 for the past two seasons. However, this offseason the front office decided to venture into free agency and acquire ex-Tennessee Titan Dion Lewis, adding a jolt of versatility and experience to the mix.
Could they dip their hands one more time into the free-agent running back market? Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox suggests just that.
Could Giants Sign RB Devonta Freeman?
With $16 million in cap space available, not only could the Giants afford to add Devonta Freeman to the mix, Knox believes signing the two-time Pro Bowler is the one move Big Blue should focus on making before the 2020 seasons begins.
The idea of the New York Giants signing free-agent running back Devonta Freeman may seem counterintuitive given the presence of superstar Sqauon Barkley. However, adding the versatile runner and receiver would go a long way toward keeping Barkley on the field for a full 16 games.
Though Barkley is a special back when at 100 percent, he missed three games due to injury last season and has already seen 621 touches in his two-year career. The risk of him being overworked is real, and if the Giants are going to be at all competitive in 2020, they’ll need to avoid that.
Knox makes a valid point concerning Barkley’s mammoth workload. While the G-Men don’t need to take the Rams-Todd Gurley approach in terms of limiting Barkley’s touches, keeping their star running back healthy and effective over the long-haul should be a main objective for the team moving forward. Especially with a sizable contract extension looming.
Signing Freeman would also present a slight upgrade over both Dion Lewis and Wayne Gallman as a pure in between the tackles runner, as he’s averaged a combined 4.5 yards per carry over four of the past five seasons.
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A Nose for the End Zone
An argument could be made that from 2015 through 2016 there was no bigger touchdown threat in the NFL than Freeman. Over that time span, the ex-Falcons standout recorded an absurd 31 combined touchdowns, including 14 total touchdowns in 2015, tying with David Johnson for the league-lead by a running back.
However, since then he’s seen his production drastically drop off, recording just 14 total touchdowns over the past three seasons combined.
Injuries and declining play have plagued Freeman over recent years and are likely why he still remains unsigned at the moment. Still, at just 28-years of age, and a proven dual-threat option out of the backfield, teams could do a lot worse than Freeman manning their RB2 role.
With that said, Dion Lewis is still as quality of a backup running back the Giants have had in place in quite some time. Taking that into consideration, along with the team’s looming question marks at edge rusher, cornerback and center, New York may be better served to spend their remaining salary cap space elsewhere.