E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat writer for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995.
He is the author of 26 books and he was one of only three sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls until the past few. Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

CAMP OPENS JULY 26 AND THE GIANTS ARE STILL SHORT IN RBs

By Dave Klein
Acting with the speed and confidence of a seasoned veteran, Giants' general manager Joe Schoen drew contract negotiations to a halt when he told running back Saquon Barkley that the team would not - or could not - accept the financial and contractual terms he and his agent demanded.

So on March 13, 2024, Barkley signed a three-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Oh, no, not the Eagles. Not the Giants' most bitter rival. Not the team they have to play twice a year. Not the team that needed one good running bck to become Super Bowl favorites. Not the team that produces myriad fights in the stands each time the two squads get together for a rumble.

Yeah, those Eagles.

So now Saquon is with the Eagles, speaking about the Giants and their fans in a thoroughly unfriendly fashion, and he is primed for one of those magical seasons that make a team's offense sparkle and makes things infinitely easier for the quarterback the wide receivers and even the offensive line.

And the Giants? Well, they're coping.

First of all, they signed a veteran free agent running back, Devin Singletary, who was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the third round in 2019. Wait, isn't that where Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll came from? Yes, it is. You win a box of saltines.

In his six-year career, the last year of which was spent in Houston, Singletary has accumulated a total of 888 carries for 4,049 yards. He's a little guy (apologies to little guys everywhere) at 5-7 and 205 from Florida Atlantic. And yes, he is a little short, but comparing him to Little Joe Morris in all other aspects is somewhat offensive to Singletary.

So the Giants have Singletary, who for all intents and purposes is unproven in this area, and to back him up? Well, the Giants had the chance with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 draft, but it wasn't much of a chance since no running back was taken until the second round.

So instead they took a wide receiver, Malik Nabers of LSU, and whether they had a bushel full of those guys didn't matter. Nabers is going to be the best of them given a little time.

Still, that didn't help the Giants make up for the loss of Barkley, did it? So in the fifth round they took a Purdue product, Tyrone Tracy Jr., who they'll get to compete for the backup role (so-called NFL experts call that position RB-2) with a second-year kid named Eric Gray, who was also a fifth-round selection the year before out of Oklahoma.

And to fill up the running backs room (another modern phrase) we offer Jashaun Corbin and Dante Miller. Corbin, from Florida, is 6-0 and 220; Miller, signed by the Giants last year as an undrafted rookie, was released, signed with Carolina, was released and re-signed by the Giants. Not what might pass for a sparkling resume.

So what's the bottom line here? Singletary better produce, and the line better block well, and quarterback Daniel Jones must look to hand him the ball even though there are all those tempting wide receiver just flying downfield.

Got that? And welcome to the 2024 Giants' running game.

Questions? Comments?
Send it over to davesklein@aol.com

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