New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. is the ultimate "always a bridesmaid, never a bride" story. For a moment there, it looked like he'd finally be given the opportunity to be the team's true lead back, but then it all came crashing down.
The 26-year-old was thrust into a heavy workload as a rookie in 2024 after Saquon Barkley took his talents to the Philadelphia Eagles, and he was thrust into the spotlight again when Cam Skattebo went down with a gruesome dislocated ankle and fractured tibia in Week 8 last season. Even though Tracy has eclipsed 1,000-plus all-purpose yards in back-to-back seasons, the 166th pick in the 2024 Draft has been routinely slept on.
Hand up -- I've California King'd on the notion that Tracy should be the lead back in favor of "Skatt." But what if I told you that cult-hero-tinted glasses have warped a conversation that Giants fans won't want to have?
At the risk of inciting an angry mob -- please put away the pitchforks -- might I suggest Big Blue turn to Tracy Jr. as their lead back this season and let Skatt get a healthy serving of touches off the bench.
Cam Skattebo might be more dangerous if he isn’t Giants’ lead back
Let me be clear: this has nothing to do with Skatt's viral backflip fail at Fanatics Fest. I love his unhinged energy. It has everything to do with how different the two backs play.
Skatt, the human-sized fire hydrant, gives the G-Men that I'll-run-through-anyone-and-everyone style that's incredibly fun to watch. His violent approach naturally caps his big-play upside and inherently opens him up to playing banged up. Just take a look at his 4.05 yards per carry from last year. It’s another indicator that he’s at his best as a short-yardage nightmare.
Tracy gives the offense an entirely different element because he finds open space effortlessly. Tracy became the first Giants player since Barkley to have back-to-back 1,000- yard scrimmage seasons in their first two years.
While his 4.2 yards per carry last season weren't significantly better than Skatt's 4.05, his shiftiness and elusiveness had him significantly ahead of his counterpart in Stuff Rate (the percentage of times a back is stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage -- minimum 75 carries). Tracy got stuffed only 13.6% of the time while the former ASU standout was stopped 16.7%.
Tracy spent his early college years playing wide receiver, and he has legit 4.4 speed. You can line him up out wide and send him on wheel routes, exploiting slower linebackers and safeties all day.
Plus, shifting Tracy into the RB1 role keeps Skatt fresh for the fourth quarter for punishment SZN. This also doesn’t mean the Giants shouldn’t lean on both backs. But instead of a 50/50 split, or even a 60/40 split in Skatt’s favor, I’d rather see something closer to 55/45 with Tracy leading the way.
It'll be a tough reality to come to terms with, but Big Blue can let Skatt be the Mariano Rivera-like closer who breaks defensive fronts' wills late in the game, and we can let Tracy finally be the bride. Ultimately, Skatt is the more fun back to watch; there's no denying that, but Tracy is the better football player for what this team needs now.
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