4 position battles NY Giants fans should already be thinking about
By Doug Rush
3. RB spots behind Saquon Barkley
We are going to assume that Saquon Barkley doesn't hold out for the 2023 season and reports to the team. Now whether he's on the franchise tag or a long-term deal remains to be seen, but we are going to make an assumption that Barkley reports to the team to start training camp.
One of the criticisms for the Giants in 2022 was that Barkley had to shoulder most of the load as the primary running back and he eventually wore down later in the season, although it was more of the Giants altering the offense and using Saquon in the passing game along with Barkley being the featured back.
But the Giants do have options to spell Barkley and get others involved if needed. Veteran Matt Breida is back for another season and when he got to play, he showed he can be productive.
Matt Breida takes the snap from Saquon Barkley in the Wildcat formation and goes 8 yards into the end zone for a Giants touchdown.
— Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) January 22, 2023
Giants trail the Eagles 28-7 in the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/AYk5S3o8Zq
Also back for the Giants is Gary Brightwell, who is more useful in special teams, especially on kick returns. The Giants also made an addition in the 2023 draft when they selected Eric Gray in the fifth round from Oklahoma.
While Gray isn't expected to challenge Barkley for his starting spot, he could very well challenge Breida for the backup spot behind Saquon Could this lead to either Breida or Brightwell not making the 53-man roster?