The New York Giants came painfully close to pulling off another comeback on Sunday, ultimately falling to the New Orleans Saints 34-27.
Coming into the game, the hottest topic of conversation was surprisingly centered around New York’s running back room. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported before the game that usual starter Cam Skattebo was being “downgraded” in the rotation.
“Expectation is there will be a change to the Giants RB rotation, per sources. Najee Harris is likely to have a larger role with Cam Skattebo downgraded but still part of the mix after the fumbles,” wrote Raanan in a post on X.
All 4 RBs (Harris, Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary) should be active.
Skattebo did end up getting benched, but it wasn’t Najee Harris who ended up with the most touches. Tyrone Tracy, an oft-forgotten member of Big Blue’s rotation, finished with the most touches.
Tyrone Tracy Knows He’s Capable of More
Following the loss, Tracy spoke to reporters in the New York Giants locker room and sounded like a player who knows he is capable of more despite his team-leading six carries.
“What I did on the football field, it’s just a small, small dose of what I’m capable of. At the end of the day, I want to win. If I do all of that stuff and we don’t win, it really don’t matter. Obviously I’m happy that I got to display my skillset there, but at the same time, y’know I want to win the game,” Tracy said to the media.
“It’s definitely hard. As a running back, obviously you got to find your feet and find your rhythm in a game. I think that’s something that we’re all working through.”
Tyrone Tracy talks about what he showed today:
It’s hard to say any Giants running back found their rhythm on Sunday. Between Tracy, Harris, and Devin Singletary, the backs ran for 34 yards on 14 carries. The only one not to get any touches was Skattebo.
Clearly, John Harbaugh and his staff are trying to figure out which one of these running backs can be their guy for the remainder of the season. None of the current options have shown that they can handle it due to various issues through the first six games of the year.
John Harbaugh Gets Snippy on RB Rotation
In his own postgame press conference, the New York Giants’ head coach got incredibly defensive when asked about the decision to bench Skattebo.
Harbaugh was quick to say that the team didn’t bench their second-year running back, but considering the fact that he received zero carries, it’s hard not to question the thought process behind icing him out.
“We didn’t bench Cam Skattebo; that was not by design. We had all those guys taking equal reps in the first half. We were trying to see who could make something happen, who could try and get the hot hand and earn it,” Harbaugh told reporters.
John Harbaugh talks about the division of touches among the Giants’ running backs:
“One of those guys needs to step up. Somebody needs to step up and be the back. None of those guys have done that yet. When one of those guys steps up to be the back, then they’ll be the back.”
We’ll see if any of the Giants’ running backs are able to establish themselves as that RB1 in the coming weeks.
Tyrone Tracy Gets Blunt on Giants’ Running Back Rotation