Giants’ Phil Mafah signing makes Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s situation even messier

There’s adding insult to injury, and then there’s whatever the New York Giants just did to the Dallas Cowboys.

Not 24 hours after Big Blue’s 28-20 humiliation of ‘America’s Team,’ ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the G-Men weren’t done beating the Cowboys, signing running back Phil Mafah to the practice squad on Monday afternoon.

While Dallas takes another L by losing a 23-year-old back, the biggest loser might already be on the Giants. Tyrone Tracy Jr. is coming off a terrible game. He had just two touches in Big Blue’s season opener, with his last one ending in a fumble deep in Cowboys territory late in the second quarter. Devin Singletary helped Cam Skattebo shoulder the load from there, and with Najee Harris potentially entering the lineup next week, Mafah’s addition to the P-Squad gives TTJ one more reason to start looking over his shoulder.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. can’t afford another mistake in crowded Giants RB room

It’s pretty wild that I'm even having to have this conversation about Tracy.

The former fifth-round pick surpassed 1,000 all-purpose yards in each of his first two seasons, becoming the first Giants player to do so in each of his first two years since Saquon Barkley.

Then came an ugly preseason. Tracy struggled with ball security and pass protection, but survived roster cuts and entered Week 1 with a chance to leave those issues in the past. Instead, one of his biggest problems came right back.

Tracy fumbled five times as a rookie, infamously buying grip strengtheners on Amazon before his second season to help fix the problem. It seemed to work last year, as he only fumbled once. Might be time to check that order history and hit “Buy Again.”

Tracy had 14 yards on his two carries Sunday night, but the second one ended with the ball in the hands of Shavon Revel Jr. near Dallas’ 20-yard line. TTJ didn’t play another snap afterward. And that’s where this whole Mafah P-Squad signing gets interesting.

The former Clemson standout rushed for 2,887 yards and 28 scores during his time in upstate South Carolina. It was good enough for Dallas to make him the 239th pick last year, but the 6-foot-1, 230-pound back barely saw the field as a rookie, appearing in one game and turning five touches into 18 yards and a touchdown.

I’m not declaring Tracy’s roster spot gone with Mafah’s signing, but it certainly doesn’t bode well, especially with how the rest of Sunday night’s game shook out after he was essentially benched.

Singletary took over the backup work after the fumble, getting 16 yards on six carries and adding four receptions for 22 yards and a TD. There's a strong chance Harris is active and could return against the Los Angeles Rams next week, and now Mafah is hanging around if head coach John Harbaugh wants another option.

That makes next Monday night awfully important for Tracy. If he’s active, he’ll have an chance to make move on from his Week 1 blunder. But if he’s a healthy scratch, it’ll tell us a whole lot more about where his future with the Giants is headed. Either way, another pair of grip strengtheners probably wouldn’t hurt.

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