The on-field workouts get the spotlight at the NFL Scouting Combine, but the annual gathering in Indianapolis is far more than just the workouts. It’s as much a league-wide conference and convention as it is a venue for gathering scouting information for the upcoming draft.
NFL teams talk to each other, talk to players’ agents, and also look at what each other is doing to try and divine their intentions. This week sets the stage for teams’ entire off-season strategies, not just the draft but free agency as well.
Here, of course, we’re interested in the New York Giants and what they’ll be doing over the coming weeks and months. And on that note, Jordan Raanan of ESPN reported that word around the Combine is that the Giants are looking seriously at the top running backs on the market. Not just the likes of Jeremiyah Love of Notre Dame, who might be the best player in the 2026 draft, but top free agents like Kenneth Walker and Travs Etienne.
Raanan states that the team’s focus seems to be “becoming a more physical run-heavy team.”
It wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see the Giants add a running back at some point in the draft or free agency. Devin Singletary seems like an obvious cap casualty, and at least adding depth seems remarkably prudent.
That said, they don’t have much work to do be a physical, run-heavy team.
After all, they already are one.
The Giants had the second-most rushing attempts in the NFL last year, four carries ahead of Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens. They were also fifth in rushing yards per game (129.1) fourth in rushing touchdowns (22, one fewer than the Ravens), and fifth in rushing EPA (+39.83).
The Giants will get sparkplug runner Cam Skattebo back from injury, while Tyrone Tracy is the only player from the 2024 draft to top 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons.
They also leaned into a down-hill power run game, with with 78 percent of Tyrone Tracy’s carries and 81 percent of Cam Skattebo’s carries coming between the tackles. In particular, the Giants a G/T Counter as their bread and butter running play.
The follow-on to this rumor is how it will impact the Giants’ plans for their offensive line. Ravens’ center Tyler Linderbaum has been a frequent subject of speculation since John Harbaugh was hired, however it’s also been confirmed that the Ravens made a “market setting” offer to the center. Giants’ center John Michael Schmitz is a better pass protector than Linderbaum, but a worse run blocker — at least at this point in his development.
The Giants also have to address the right guard and right tackle positions, and they would have to generate significant cap space to reset the center market for Linderbaum as well as sign Jermaine Elumunor and fill the hole at right guard.
Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network is reporting that the Giants aren’t planning on overhauling their roster. John Harbaugh (reportedly) believes the Giants have the talent to compete, and is more likely to “tinker” with the roster than go through a tear-down and rebuild.
All of these potentially interconnected reports should obviously be taken with a grain of salt. This time of year is also rife with smoke — be it misinformation or outright disinformation. However, we would probably be smart to consider running back as a real area of interest for the Giants, even with the position already a strength.
How much do you buy the rumors? And do you think investing in a top running back is the right move for the Giants?
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