Is Giants' Running Game Set Up to Survive Life After Saquon Barkley?

The Giants lack a big-name among their running back room, but here's why that isn't a problem.

East Rutherford, NJ -- August 1, 2024 -- Running back Devin Singletary during practice today at the New York Giants' training camp. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

New York Giants co-owner John Mara probably said it best when speaking about running back Saquon Barkley when, on an episode of Hard Knocks, he called the now-former Giant the offense’s “best player.”

But nothing lasts forever, and that includes the tenures of the team’s best players—the Giants went through that with quarterbacks Phil Simms and Eli Manning, defensive end Michael Strahan, and linebackers Harry Carson, Lawerence Taylor, and Carl Banks, just to name a few.

While no one is questioning Barkley as still being a top-notch talent, the Giants' offense seems well set up to survive life after Barkley, who signed with the team that shall not be named that resides down the New Jersey Turnpike.

The Giants have been gravitating toward a committee approach in their running game from the moment general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll took over the football operations part of the franchise.

That’s, in fact, the approach they unveiled in full this summer through a three-man committee consisting of Devin Singletary (who has a better career success rate in picking up the minimum yardage per down than Barkley) and draft picks Eric Gray and Tyrone Tracy, Jr., who are likely to form the core.

Then figure on one additional back among a trio of hopefuls that includes Jacob Saylors, Dante “Turbo” Miller, and Jashaun Corbin, and you have a Giants running back room that might lack the “sexy” name but seems solid enough to survive Barkley's free-agency loss.

The biggest reason, though, why the offense seems set up to survive Barkley's loss is the receiver corps. The Giants, who are expected to lean into their passing game a lot more this year, put the cherry on the cake with the drafting of Malik Nabers in the first round. This player has all the makings of a No. 1 receiver, something quarterback Daniel Jones has never had since turning pro.

Toss in the speed and shiftiness of Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, and Darius Slayton, and it would be very hard to argue that the Giants receiver group isn’t the strength of this offense.

Of course, as was the case with Barkley, it all boils down to the blocking up front. Just as prognosticators are predicting Barkley to run wild behind the Eagles (oops, we said the name) offensive line, the same could be said of the Giants backs, all of whom bring varying degrees of speed, play strength, and shiftiness to the game. 

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