NY Giants sign RB Devontae Booker: The good, the bad, the grade

Grading the Giants’ signing of Booker

Signing Booker for the kind of money the NY Giants did (up to $6 million over two seasons) feels like the kind of luxury move that a team on the cusp of contending would make, in an era where the NFL has never valued running backs less.

If Barkley is healthy, which admittedly has become a going concern for this organization, he is the bell-cow and focal point of the offense.

However, the NY Giants’ proved to a degree last season that the running game can be productive using a committee approach with options such as Alfred Morris, Wayne Gallman, and Dion Lewis.

Signing Booker almost assuredly means the end of Gallman’s tenure with the organization, despite winning over the coaching staff over the second half of last season, while rushing for a career-high 682 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games.

Given that the NY Giants entered this week cap-strapped, with just over $3 million in cap space prior to Monday, this now puts significant onus on agreeing to a long-term contract with Leonard Williams to lower his cap number currently on the franchise tag, and finalizing a restructure to lower Nate Solder’s cap hit.

If those moves don’t come to fruition, it is going to be mighty difficult for the NY Giants to be significant players in free agency the rest of the offseason.

GRADE: D+

Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL.