NY Giants: 3 Crucial young offensive players for 2020

1. RB Wayne Gallman, RB

Wayne Gallman might not fit the exact mold of a young guy with a lot of potential, but the former Clemson Tiger has shown flashes of being a dynamic, every-down backup running back since being taken in the 4th round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Through his first three seasons, he’s played in 38 games and started just five, with his most productive year coming as a rookie when he notched 476 rushing yards, 193 receiving yards, and averaged 4.6 yards per touch.

Obviously, since the arrival of Saquon Barkley, his numbers and playing time have dwindled, but that still doesn’t mean having a viable backup running back isn’t important to the offense.

We were reminded of this last season after Barkley suffered a high-ankle sprain vs the Buccaneers, Gallman was given the torch and answered the call the following week with 118 total yards and two scores vs the Redskins.

The following game against the Vikings, Gallman suffered a concussion and missed the following week and then saw little to no playing time the rest of the season.

In his absence, the NY Giants were left with Jon Hilliman and Eli Penny, who combined for a whopping 130 rushing yards the whole season.

Now I’m not making any sort of case that Gallman needs to grow his role and take reps from Saquon, but I am saying if he stays healthy and shows some more consistency, it could help the offense in a big way.

Saquon is only human (kind of), and can’t play every snap of every possession. As we saw last year, he can’t stay 100% healthy all the time either. Having a back that still allows you to open the playbook and move the ball on the ground or through the air when No. 26 is on the sidelines would be a huge advantage.

Forcing defenses to have to at least pay attention to the backfield when Barkley is out is better than what we’re used to and what we saw in 2019. Not a single opposing defender worried about Eli Penny or Jon Hilliman making a play vs them, and rightfully so. They are practice squad players and when they were in, the offense was one dimensional.

Obviously a lot of Gallman’s play will depend on the offensive line, but overall a healthy, productive Gallman is better than most other alternatives. An improvement from him in 2020 will no doubt be a boost for Jason Garrett and this offense.