How will the Giants Deal with Loss of Shane Vereen?

The Giants lost running back Shane Vereen to a triceps injury suffered in last week’s loss to the Washington Redskins. Although initially projected to miss the rest of the season, the Giants are leaving the door open for a possible return late in the year, according to Paul Schwartz in the New York Post.

While Vereen struggled with ball security early in the year, he is the most sure-handed of the Giants’ running backs. Last year, he caught 59 passes and had more receiving yards than rushing yards. When Vereen lines up in the backfield, opposing defenses are likely to expect a passing play. However, the Giants have found success in the first three weeks by running numerous draw plays.

Is Rainey the “new” Vereen?

There are a few options to replace Vereen, and the first man up is likely Bobby Rainey. The Rainey signing puzzled some in the offseason but could prove to be valuable. The Giants like to line up Vereen at receiver, which is exactly what Rainey did last week. On one crucial play, Eli Manning targeted him in the end zone, but the pass was incomplete and nearly intercepted. It will be interesting to see how heavily the Giants rely on a player who played under ten offensive snaps last year.

Orleans Darkwa is better suited to replacing the injured Rashad Jennings than Vereen. Darkwa runs with a burst that just isn’t there when Jennings is on the field. Last week, he averaged an impressive 5.3 yards per carry and punched in his first touchdown of the year. With that being said, Darkwa does not contribute as much in the passing game.

Rookie Paul Perkins has been limited to special teams thus far but should contribute more in the coming weeks. According to ESPN on Sep. 26, 2016, head coach Ben McAdoo said, “Perkins is ready to step up”.  It remains impossible to judge Perkins before he takes at least a few carries.

Running back by committee hurt the Giants last year before Jennings reclaimed his starting spot in December. The team’s improved receiving corps should make up for the lackluster group of backs, but injuries to Vereen and others could plague the team down the stretch.