NY Giants: Wanye Gallman fighting for his job in 2020
After the free-agent addition of Dion Lewis, no NY Giants player is more at risk to be cut this offseason than runningback Wayne Gallman.
Just three short years ago, Wayne Gallman was flying high after being selected by the NY Giants in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft. Not only was he drafted to one of the proudest and most historic franchises in the NFL, but he was also going to a team that had a history of successful runningbacks while the 2017 team had a gaping hole at the position.
For the former Clemson star, it seemed to be just about the perfect position. After a solid rookie year playing out of a committee that saw him compile close to 700 total yards on a 4.3 rushing average, Gallman must have been even more excited heading into 2018.
However, that’s when the draft pick around the world was heard and GM Dave Gettleman bucked the trend of positional value and took fellow runningback Saquon Barkley second-overall, much to the chagrin to NFL analytics experts everywhere and likely Gallman himself.
The pick basically spelled the end of Gallman’s dream of every being the long-term starting runningback for the NY Giants, Still, it was fair to assume a player of his caliber could carve out a nice role for himself, remain productive and be in line for a nice payday and better opportunity at the end of his rookie deal.
That has not transpired.
In fact, heading into the last year of his rookie deal with the NY Giants, Wayne Gallman is squarely on the roster bubble and it’s looking more and more like he will in fact be cut before the 2020 NFL regular season. Injuries and changing coaching staffs have not helped him, nor have his somewhat mediocre (by his standards) results on the field.
But this is the NFL, and no one ever promised it would be fair. It just would have been so hard to imagine three years ago on draft night that such a talented player would be facing the possibility of maybe being out of the NFL altogether.
If new head coach Joe Judge is true to his word and the best football players will make this team no matter their circumstances than Gallman should have a real shot of sticking around in 2020. The kid can play, and it’s been almost weird to see him being phased out of the team’s plans.
Next. Who the Giants should target in rounds 3 and 4. dark
If that’s not the case, one thing to keep an eye on is a potential trade during training camp or preseason when a team loses a runningback. The compensation wouldn’t be more than a seventh-rounder, but you’ve gotta believe Gallman’s reputation still could make a team bite.