Perhaps the strangest part of the New York Giants’ J.J. McCarthy trade is remembering that Tyrone Tracy Jr. is still on the 53-man roster.
Not that we expected the Vikings to acquire Tracy in a 1-for-1 swap, mind you. But had you told us on Labor Day that the Giants would make a notable trade within the season’s first month, we naturally would have guessed it’d involve the third-year running back.
Instead, the Giants only needed to send a fifth-round pick Minnesota’s way. But we’re not sold on Tracy finishing the season in New York, even with him remaining under team control through the end of next season.
Between the McCarthy trade and Tuesday’s release of Odell Beckham Jr., the Giants have made it clear they’re operating under an aggressive mindset. So if the next move is parting ways with Tracy, then we know exactly who should have Joe Schoen on speaker phone.
Could the New York Giants convince the Miami Dolphins to trade for Tyrone Tracy Jr.?
Luckily for De'Von Achane, he’d already cashed in before tearing his ACL this past Sunday. His offseason contract extension guaranteed him $32 million, including over $17.3 million upon signing.
Given that the Dolphins are 0-3, you’re justified in wondering why they’d even bother trading for Tracy. What are the benefits of giving up picks for a running back who lost his place with a rebuilding team’s starting offense? We were surprised the Giants dressed him last Sunday, let alone watch him record a three-yard gain.
If you’re the Dolphins, wouldn’t you rather have Tracy than Jaylen Wright, who has an extensive injury history dating back to college? Ollie Gordon has averaged 2.7 yards per attempt since entering the NFL last year. Really exciting stuff.
Tracy doesn’t fit into the Giants’ plans, and we’re not sure what their long-term thoughts on Cam Skattebo are. As we’ve previously noted, John Harbaugh inherited Skattebo, and he may want to draft a running back next spring; keep in mind that the Arizona State product turns 25 in February and only has two more seasons under contract.
Let’s get back to Tracy, who already has age (he turns 27 in November) and fumbles working against him. His only value comes on special teams, where he’s already played a career-high 41 snaps. To his credit, he had two 26-yard punt returns in the Week 2 loss to the Rams, though that’s not exactly encouraging.
Schoen’s priority at this point should be getting whatever he can in exchange for Tracy. We saw the flashes throughout his first two seasons, and the consensus entering training camp was that he and Cam Skattebo would form a 1A and 1B duo, though that dream died when the former missed a key block in the preseason opener.
Najee Harris had 52 carries on nine yards against the Titans, and he’s all but officially surpassed both Tracy and Devin Singletary on the depth chart. Singletary just turned 29 and is a pending free agent, so the odds of him being traded feel extremely low.
Things have the potential to get very interesting ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline, so long as Schoen is willing to capitalize.
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