Chances are unless you reign from Clemson, South Carolina, or the New York/New Jersey area, you don’t keep tabs on New York Giants running back Wayne Gallman.
Then again, there is always the chance that Gallman’s 118 yard, two-touchdown outing back in Week 4 of this past season helped your fantasy team capture a “dub”, in that case, you’re likely quite fond of him.
Unfortunately, the Giants’ organization doesn’t appear to share the same sentiment, as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post has recently pointed out.
The roster overhaul did not leave the Giants with many older veterans hanging onto their livelihoods. Gallman, 26, is a young veteran and this is a year of decision for him. The arrow is pointing down, but that does not mean it has to stay that way.
The Giants signed Dion Lewis as a veteran to back up Barkley and Gallman must find a way to convince new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett to give him the ball once in a while.
Gallman’s Roster Spot is Hanging by a Thread
The roster overhaul Schwartz touches on includes not only the addition of veteran running back Dion Lewis but also UDFA Javon Leake. The latter is an exciting talent who some have even pegged as a “Tevin Coleman Clone” and believe has a legitimate chance to beat out Lewis for the RB2 gig in New York.
All in all, the Giants have a total of eight running backs on their current roster, leaving Gallman’s placement within the organization highly murky at the moment.
So much so, that even when the Giants came away from the 2020 NFL Draft empty-handed at the running back position, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell still pegged Gallman as a likely cut candidate, adding that the ex-Clemson star “doesn’t have a role on the roster.”
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Gallman Has Flashed His Talent’s in the Past
On the surface, Gallman appears to be everything you look for in a quality backup running back. He’s averaged a solid 4.0 yards per carry over his three-year pro career. He’s also showed admirably as a receiver out of the backfield, most evident by his 34-reception, 10-game rookie campaign.
In fact, after ranking second on the team in rushing over his rookie season, many envisioned a scenario where Gallman could become a potential piece in a formidable one-two punch in Big Blue’s backfield. That, of course, changed with the arrival of Saquon Barkley, as noted by Schwartz.
There was nothing wrong with Gallman. He arrived in the fourth round out of Clemson with a championship pedigree, and as a rookie he rushed for 476 yards and averaged 4.3 yards per carry. Perfectly acceptable. The Giants did not expect greatness out of him; they thought he could be a solid complementary back.
In his second year, Gallman was usurped by Saquon Barkley and, for all intents and purposes, that was that. His rushing attempts went from 111 to 51 to 29 and by last season he was an afterthought.
No one ever expected Gallman to drastically eat into Barkley’s workload. The Giants offense is at their best with Barkley on the field and will remain that way for the foreseeable future.
With that said, the fact that Gallman was a healthy-scratch down the final stretch of last season while the team opted instead to activate journeyman Buck Allen is a bit puzzling to say the least. Although, Gallman’s six career fumbles may have something to say about that.
Thankfully for Gallman’s sake, he’ll have a clean slate with a new coaching staff in New York when training camp kicks off later this month. Unfortunately for Gallman, it may not be enough, as the running back clearly has an uphill battle to make the Giants’ final roster.
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‘The Arrow is Pointing Down’ for Giants RB; Soon to be Cut?