The New York Giants will have a new rushing attack in 2024. Saquon Barkley is gone and Devin “Motor” Singletary is expected to be the lead back in New York. Behind Singletary is a training camp battle for RB2, which intensified after yesterday's preseason win against the Detroit Lions.
The two running backs competing for the RB2 spot are rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. and second-year player Eric Gray. Both are fifth-round picks and each brings something different to the table.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. is a converted wide receiver who has reliable hands and strong playmaking ability in the receiving game. However, he is still learning how to be a more disciplined runner between the tackles. Meanwhile, Eric Gray is a physical runner who has good short-area speed and burst but lacks long speed. You can almost think of the two as a RB duo themselves — Gray is the thunder and Tracy Jr. is the lightning.
Tracy Jr. had the edge entering the Lions game. His playmaking ability could make him a fixture in the offense on third downs. He could also function in a short-passing role that is effectively an extension of the run game.
“Wherever they use me, I’m going to try to do it to the best of my ability,” Tracy told the New York Post. “But with all the short-yardage stuff — whether that’s a hitch or backs [coming] out of the backfield — I think that’s a little to my advantage because of my background. But we have a lot of different things in our playbook. That makes our offense really good.”
However, it was Eric Gray who stole the show against the Lions. Gray logged four carries for 52 yards and two touchdowns, providing all of the team's scores. He also led the team in receiving with four receptions for 46 yards.
It will be fascinating to see how this battle shakes out over the remainder of the NFL preseason.
Recapping the Giants' preseason victory yesterday against the Lions
The New York Giants defeated the Detroit Lions last night 14-3 in their first preseason game of the year.
Most of the Giants starters got to rest against the Lions, which gave some of their backups a chance to shine. Second-year players Tommy DeVito and Eric Gray led the way on offense, providing just enough to get past a Lions team that struggled on offense the entire game.
DeVito replaced an injured Drew Lock in the first quarter led New York to its only scores of the game, both touchdowns by RB Eric Gray.
“Every day is a step in the right direction,” DeVito said per ESPN. “Try to build off it every single time I go out on the field and have the opportunity to be on the field.”
The Giants defense looked solid, but Detroit's ineptitudes on offense seemed to stem from poor QB play. That said, the Giants performed well against the run, stuffing RB Craig Reynolds (who starter the game for Detroit) for 11 yards on four carries.
We can't wait to see the Giants back in action against the Houston Texans next week!
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