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Previewing the NY Giants’ running back position group

By Danny Friedman

12 Jan 1991: Running back Ottis Anderson of the New York Giants (Credit - Getty images)
12 Jan 1991: Running back Ottis Anderson of the New York Giants (Credit - Getty images) /
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Saquon Barkley #26 of the NY Giants. (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images)
Saquon Barkley #26 of the NY Giants. (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images) /

NY Giants Running backs 2020 Preview

Looking ahead to 2020, the NY Giants need to have a better running game if they want to have a good offense. There is no reason this can’t happen but several things need to fall into place for it to happen.

This season, the Giants will feature a new offensive system with Jason Garrett’s Air Coryell offense. Garrett used Zeke Elliott more than any back in the league since he was drafted in 2016. Expect much of the same with Barkley in New York in 2020.

The Giants offense will go as far as Saquon takes it. He is the team’s best player and most important weapon. There’s no reason he should ever get under 25 touches a game, he is that good.

The Giants have always been at their best with a balanced run game that can control the clock and have big plays that spark the team and can change games. That has often come in the product of multiple guys doing the work, not just one workhorse back.

From Frank Gifford and Alex Morrison to OJ Anderson, Rodney Hampton, and Dave Meggett to Earth, Wind, & Fire consisting of Jacobs, Derrick Ward, and Bradshaw, Big Blue has always had several guys that can pound the rock and catch the ball on every team. The sustained balance of power, strength, speed, and heart of these guys listed above should stand as a precedent for the guys on the team now.

The Giants would be wise to feature Saquon as a three-down back but also be sure to include Dion Lewis, and Wayne Gallman or Javon Leake in certain situations to spare #26 a break. Lewis is a capable veteran back and Gallman has shown he has some bounce and burst to his game.

The NY Giants need to see a correlation between a successful run game and a successful W-L record. When the opportunity presents itself, the offense must close out games in 2020 on the strength of the run game even when the other team knows when it’s coming late in games when they hold a lead.

I will be watching this unit very closely in 2020. The Giants made Barkley the team’s second #2 overall draft pick since the great Lawrence Taylor back in 1981. So far, the returns on drafting Saquon are mixed as he’s experienced great individual success but the team has nothing to show for greatness.

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