Eric Gray is Making a Case for a Larger Role in Giants' Rushing Offense

New York Giants running back Eric Gray talked about the strides he made this offseason.

New York Giants running back Eric Gray (20) runs with the ball in the fourth quarter, Sunday, January 7, 2024. / Kevin R. Wexler / USA TODAY NETWORK

New York Giants running back Eric Gray was a non-factor offensively in 2023, partly due to injuries that landed him on IR for part of the season and partly due to the team’s insistence on turning him into their kickoff returner, a role for which he was not best suited.

With his rocky rookie season behind him, Gray is looking to rise from the ashes to show that he can be a legitimate contributor in the Giants' running backs rotation.

So far, so good. Gray, who told New York Giants On SI that he attacked his offseason training hard, has ripped off some long runs in the padded practices this week. One in particular was a long run on counter where he hit the cutback and ran through the second level.

Like many of the Giants running backs in camp, Gray has benefitted from the Giants' shift to more of a gap-based run-blocking scheme, which new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo ran in his previous coaching stops. 

That scheme seems to be bringing out the best in Gray this summer.

“Carm was with the Raiders last year, and they had a great run game,” Gray said. “If the o-line knows that the ball is going to hit right here and you hit it here every time, that allows for big plays and for everybody to be on the same page.”

Another area in which Gray has shown improvement is pass protection. Last year, he had 14 pass protection snaps in both the preseason and regular season, and he allowed pressures on half of those reps.

One such eye-opening play of his this summer came when the offense backed up to their own end zone, ran a pass play, and Gray, working with the second-team offense, stonewalled a blitzing Elijah Riley.

 “Pass-pro is just about technique and wanting to do it,” Gray said. “I’ve definitely gotten better there, and it’s just adding more to my game.”

Gray praised new running backs coach Joel Thomas, previously with the New Orleans Saints, for helping him to smooth out the rough spots in his game through some new drills.

“He’s very technical,” Gray said. “I think he does some great drills. I think he’s one of the best running backs coaches in the game right now. He’s done a lot of stuff that I haven’t done before drill-wise.”

Gray is competing for the RB2 spot on the Giants with rookies Tyrone Tracy, Jr. and Dante “Turbo” Miller.

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