Did the New York Giants jump the gun when they signed running back Najee Harris? After all, we're now just a couple of days out from all 32 teams trimming their offseason rosters for the 53-man cutoff deadline on Sunday.
Could there have been more enticing options than Harris? Potentially. With Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy Jr., and Devin Singletary seemingly already locked in as the top three backs, it would have been a lot smarter for general manager Joe Schoen to wait.
Casting a wider net as teams slice down their rosters always yields surprises -- and former Arizona Cardinals RB Trey Benson might be the first of many higher-upside options that make taking an early flier on Harris look shortsighted.
The Cards waived Benson with an injury designation following a training camp flare-up in his left knee. The 24-year-old is still battling back from a devastating Week 4 meniscus tear that ended his 2025 campaign. While he briefly returned to practice this summer, the knee refused to cooperate, sidelining him for the past few weeks. With a suddenly crowded Arizona backfield, the Cardinals simply couldn't afford to wait for him to come back.
The G-Men essentially bid against themselves for Harris. In doing so, they took themselves right out of the running for a young lottery ticket like Benson before the market even heated up.
Trey Benson is exactly why Giants should’ve waited on Najee Harris
While Benson's ongoing issues are certainly worrisome, Harris comes with his fair share of concerns, too. The 28-year-old is coming off a season-ending Achilles injury suffered last year and has never really been known as an explosive athlete -- he might have four 1,000-yard-plus rushing seasons, but he holds a career 3.9 yards per carry.
Harris sometimes has a knack for moving more east-west than going north-south, and that's not necessarily a great problem to have for a guy who isn't the most athletic and whose build almost demands that he be a head-down, punishing rusher (6-foot-1, 240 pounds).
Big Blue signed the sixth-year back to a one-year, minimum deal after waiving Dante "Turbo" Miller with an injury designation. The urgency to add another back took a bit of a premature leap when Tracy Jr. let franchise quarterback Jaxson Dart get gobsmacked to the medical tent for a concussion check in their preseason opener.
But again, the move always felt a bit shortsighted and like an overcorrection.
Benson certainly doesn't come with the same amount of career success as Harris -- he has under 100 career rushes in just 17 games over two seasons. However, the former Florida State standout has shown considerable promise with 4.9 yards per attempt and an underrated receiving game (19 receptions for 123 yards). And while he isn't the most physically imposing, his 6-foot, 225-pound frame would hold up just fine in Harbaugh's downhill running philosophy.
Maybe Benson’s knee never gets right, and Harris ends up being the better option anyway. That’s entirely possible. But with roster cuts only days away and 31 other teams about to dump hundreds of players onto the market, what exactly was the rush?
Benson might be the first higher-upside back to become available. There’s a good chance he won’t be the last. We'll see what else shakes out from the roster-cut tree come Sunday.
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