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Giants to Host RB Mark Thompson, USFL Offensive MVP, for Workout

Is this insurance in case things don't work out with Saquon Barkley?

Patricia Traina

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The New York Giants are set to host running back Mark Thompson, the USFL Offensive Player of the Year winner, for a workout this week, this per Thompson's Twitter feed.

Thompson, 28 years old, played for the Houston Gamblers this past season. The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder, who played his college ball at Florida, racked up 653 rushing yards (24 yards shy of league leader Wes Hill of the New Orleans Breakers) at an average of 4.8 yards per carry. 

He also recorded 14 rushing touchdowns, the modern-era single-season USFL rushing touchdown record this past season.

Thompson also added 90 receiving yards and scored 84 points in his award-winning, eight-game (out of 10) season.

Gamblers head coach Curtis Johnson, a former assistant coach with the New Orleans Saints, gushed about Thompson's football abilities, telling FOX Sports RJ Young that Thompson is a solid player.

"I’ve never seen him bust a protection," Johnson said. "He's a big back that can protect. You see, sometimes little backs that protect just get run over. We had Reggie Bush (at the Saints), and we never wanted him in protection very much because he would get run over sometimes."

The Giants and running back Saquon Barkley have been locked in a contract impasse, and the deadline to resolve it is today at 4 p.m. ET. If Barkley doesn't get a new deal, it's expected that he'll hold out of training camp, which would probably open up another spot for a running back to help balance the practice reps.

We'll see if Thompson gets an invitation to training camp after he does his workout.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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