New York Giants running back Najee Harris has a bone to pick with how Big Blue is handling its backfield, and while I get where he’s coming from, airing those grievances after a laughably awful performance may not have been the best idea. After all, timing is everything.
After rushing for a whopping two yards on four carries in the Giants’ 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints, the 28-year-old voiced his frustration with the team’s running back rotation, saying it’s difficult to find a rhythm when you’re constantly coming on and off the field. Fair enough. It’s hard to get anything going when you’re spending more time on the sideline than in the backfield.
But head coach John Harbaugh wasn’t exactly interested in hearing excuses, and apparently, neither were the Giants. On Tuesday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that New York was releasing Harris, bringing his brief stint in North Jersey to an abrupt end:
Source: The #Giants are releasing RB Najee Harris, another RB shakeup. pic.twitter.com/N9C5GIIpeh
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 20, 2026
Talk about a rough couple of days.
Najee Harris’ Giants complaints aged about as poorly as possible
Apparently, Harris is more of a push-or-pull door kinda guy, because this revolving-door situation in the Giants’ backfield isn’t sitting too well with him:
“It’s hard to get into a rhythm with one or two plays,” Harris told reporters. “If you’re getting a play here and then get taken out for a series, there’s nothing you could do. I’ve never been through none of this before.”
Harbs wasn’t exactly rushing (pun intended) to sympathize with the sixth-year vet when asked about his frustration.
“Our run game hasn’t earned that yet, none of those guys have,” Harbaugh said. “My advice would be, do the most you can with the opportunities you get. Make the most of your opportunities and you’re sure to get more. Do something. I get it, you want to get out there and get a rhythm, but that rhythm is earned, too. And that hasn’t happened yet. I know he understands that.”
Allow me to translate that into layman’s terms: Do something. Two words that almost perfectly sum up where the Giants’ rushing attack stands six weeks into the season.
Unfortunately for Harris, he hadn’t done much of anything. The former first-rounder finishes his Giants tenure with 99 yards on 31 carries, averaging an uninspiring 3.2 yards per attempt. And while he opened his career with four straight 1,000-yard seasons, his career average of 3.9 yards per carry isn’t exactly screaming that he deserves to be a featured back, especially coming off a torn Achilles last year.
The offensive line deserves plenty of blame, too. Jon Runyan hasn’t been good enough, and rookie Francis Mauigoa is still finding his footing at guard. Neither has done much to help a rushing attack that’s been pretty bleh all season.
But the four-back rotation clearly wasn’t working, and now Harbaugh and Co. have one fewer mouth to feed. Personally, I’d rather see Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. split most of the action moving forward. They’re the two most explosive options New York has, even if Skatt needs to figure out how his hands work.
With Harris now out of the picture, Harbaugh has one less running back to rotate in and out. If he wants someone to step up and take control of the backfield, giving Skattebo and Tracy a legitimate chance to do it seems like a pretty reasonable place to start. And if neither can get the job done, the Nov. 10 trade deadline is less than three weeks away.
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