Giants Country

Giants RB Tyrone Tracy, Jr. Earns Recognition Amid Strong Consecutive Performances

The Giants rookie ball carrier has been tearing up the field, and the accolades in his first two NFL starts.

Stephen Lebitsch

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29) celebrates his third-quarter touchdown beside teammate New York Giants center John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61), Sunday, October 13, 2024, in East Rutherford.
New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29) celebrates his third-quarter touchdown beside teammate New York Giants center John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61), Sunday, October 13, 2024, in East Rutherford. / Kevin Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The arrival of New York Giants rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. brought a pleasant surprise to a highlight victory in Week 5, but with it came a nice sequel this past Sunday to once again earn the breakout player some notable honors. 

Over the past two weeks, the Giants’ 2024 fifth-round pick has entered the discussion by rising to the occasion in the absence ofellow rusher Devin Singletary, f fellow rusher Devin Singletary, who has been sidelined with a groin injury. 

The former wide receiver-turned-ball carrier has torn it up in his first two NFL starts, attracting some immense recognition from the local and national media. 

Despite the Giants’ close loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in primetime, Tracy performed well enough to be considered a bright spot in the team’s outing and lauded for the second straight week amongst some of the top rookie contributors around the NFL.

In the 17-7 loss to the Bengals, Tracy ran the football 17 times (one shy of his total from the previous game) for 50 yards and one touchdown. The 24-year-old added another six receptions for 57 yards and an average haul of 9.6 yards in the air, marking his best-receiving stat line in the six-game span. 

The efforts collided for a 23-touch, 156-yard, and one-touchdown stat line, good for the second-best offensive night on the team and Tracy’s second 100-yard performance in consecutive games. 

With momentum building for the running back, he landed on The 33rd Team’s weekly list of the ten best non-quarterback rookie performances from Week 6, where he was one of two ball carriers to make the cut along with Tampa Bay’s Bucky Irving, 

Tracy’s recent work has caught the eye of not only the biggest football minds in the media but also those in the organization, who have acknowledged the growth the young man has seen in just two games as the No. 1 rusher.

“He was productive, he was tough,” head coach Brian Daboll said regarding Tracy’s first breakout day against the Seattle Seahawks. “Getting him the ball and he runs hard, he saw the hole, he pressed the hole which is something we’ve been working hard on him, pressing the hole and setting up your blocks, and he made extra yards with the ball in his hands.”

Tracy’s run on recognitions started last Sunday in Seattle when he took over the game at Lumen Field. He moved the football for an incredible 18 carries for 129 yards, which powered the Giants' offense on the ground. 

He averaged an unstoppable 7.2 yards per carry, making it difficult for the Seahawks to get their offense back on the field and winning the possession battle for New York.

His initial burst on the professional scene was good enough to earn him a nomination for the Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week award, but he would lose out in the honor to Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels, who’s been making his own run at the title. 

With two quality starts under his belt, Tracy now holds a combined 58 touches for 307 yards of total offense for the Giants’ huddle and is averaging a team top-5 play with both 4.4 and 9.0 yards coming both the ground and in the air. 

He remains high atop the PFF rookie leaderboards with a 69.6 overall grade and is battling with Irving and Buffalo’s Ray Davis for prominence in several key rushing categories. 

The Giants still don’t have any real answers regarding Singletary's return for Week 7’s home affair with their rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. This could mean another chance for Tracy to show what he’s got in a matchup full of pride and competition in a mediocre NFC East race. 

He’s currently the fourth most productive weapon in the team’s offense through six weeks. That will entail him getting the football to complement an average passing attack that has struggled to find the end zone against a porous Philadelphia defense. 

While some might be looking for Tracy to out-perform former Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who will be back in East Rutherford for the first time since he signed with the birds in free agency, there is no pressure for the rookie to do so.

Still, how nice would it be if their rising back added that accomplishment to his debut year?

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Stephen Lebitsch
STEPHEN LEBITSCH

“Stephen Lebitsch is a graduate of Fordham University, Class of 2021, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications (with a minor in Sports Journalism) and spent three years as a staff writer for The Fordham Ram. With his education and immense passion for the space, he is looking to transfer his knowledge and talents into a career in the sports media industry. Along with his work for the FanNation network and Giants Country, Stephen’s stops include Minute Media and Talking Points Sports.

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