For much of the last year, Cam Skattebo has been the face of the New York Giants’ running back room. Skatt's popularity and impressive, albeit injury-shortened, rookie season make it easy to forget about Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Tracy is still on CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles’ mind, though, and he earned a spot on Pereles’ list of NFC breakout candidates.
As Pereles pointed out, Tracy joined Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley as the only Giants players with at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of their first two seasons.
“Mostly a wide receiver in college, Tracy is continuing to improve as a runner,” Pereles wrote. “He’ll get to show that, especially if Skattebo’s recovery from a gruesome leg injury leaks into the season or limits him in general.”
Tracy recorded 740 rushing yards, 288 receiving yards, and four total touchdowns last year. Although his offensive numbers dropped from his rookie season, that can be partly blamed on Skattebo’s pre-injury emergence.
Get ready for the Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Cam Skattebo duo
When factoring in Jaxson Dart, the Giants have quietly formed one of the league’s most talented rushing attacks.
Skattebo and Tracy showed last year that they can handle working together as a 1-2 punch, and Dart is a threat with his legs. The caveat, of course, is Dart’s extensive injury history stemming from an aggressive playstyle.
Skattebo is participating in team drills during organized team activities and has reiterated that he expects to be fully healthy when training camp begins next month.
Devin Singletary also remains on the Giants’ roster, though he rushed for a career-low 3.7 yards per attempt last year. Singletary, who turns 29 in September, restructured his contract this offseason.
Thankfully for the Giants, John Harbaugh has a proven resume of effectively operating a multi-player rushing offense. That trend began in 2008 with the Ray Rice and Willis McGahee combination in Baltimore.
The Ravens also had no issues balancing Lamar Jackson with Mark Ingram or Derrick Henry … not that we’re suggesting that Dart and Tracy will be the new Jackson and Henry.
If the thought of playing postseason football isn’t enough to motivate Tracy, he is eligible for a new contract next offseason. Given that he turns 27 in November, he’d be wise to try crashing in as soon as possible.
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