NY Giants: 3 Free agent backup runningback options

2. Peyton Barber

A true short-yardage specialist, Peyton Barber would represent an intriguing option for the NY Giants. Barber is hitting the free-agent market in 2020 after playing out his one-year $2.1M prove-it contract he signed with the Buccaneers prior to last season.

After making a puzzling decision to leave Auburn two years early in 2016 and ultimately going undrafted, Barber made his chance with the Bucs count, working his way up from barely making the roster to starting 16 games in 2018. That 2018 season saw Barber post career highs in rushing as he racked up 891 yards on the ground (3.7 YPC average) to go along with 5 touchdowns.

With Ronald Jones II finally getting more involved in Tampa’s offense in 2019, Barber ended up starting just 7 games and seeing his rushing average dip all the way to 3.2. He did, however, find paydirt 6 times on the ground and once more through the air. Barber offers little-to-nothing in the receiving department, but as I mentioned earlier that’s completely fine as Saquon has that area more than covered.

Most importantly, Barber only missed four games in four years in Tampa. That cannot be understated, as runningback is a grueling position that sees most backs go down for multiple games a year. Having a backup that you know will almost always be available is a nice feeling.

Barber is a load at 5’11 225 LBs and excels in short-yardage situations. He’ll likely be looking for a fresh start, and with more and more teams going with the ‘runningback by committee’ approach, he’ll likely have a hard time finding a starting gig.

There could be mutual interest here.