The New York Giants are rolling out a new running back committee this season after moving on from Saquon Barkley in the offseason. They responded to his departure by adding veteran rusher Devin Singletary in free agency and adding rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the fifth round of this year’s draft.
While expectations are usually low for a late-round draft pick, Tracy Jr. is pushing to play a big role this season. He has been earning reps with the first team during minicamp and could emerge as Big Blue’s lead receiving back as a rookie.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. has been earning first-team reps at practice
The Giants’ coaching staff is beginning to entrust Tracy Jr. with a larger role. According to Art Stapleton of North Jersey, Tracy Jr. “spent a good portion” of 11-on-11 drills with the first team during Tuesday’s minicamp practice.
Head coach Brian Daboll has seemed impressed with Tracy Jr. so far this offseason. He told reporters during OTAs that Tracy Jr. had “done a good job in this camp of picking up the information pretty quickly.”
The practice report on Giants.com stated that Tracy Jr. “has picked up a lot of the small details of the running back position quickly,” indicating he is preparing to play a heavy dosage of snaps this season.
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Tracy Jr. could play a big role in the Giants’ offense
The Giants could feature Tracy Jr. heavily in their offense this season as a receiving back. Tracy Jr. began his collegiate career as a wide receiver before converting to running back. His receiving skills could come in handy out of the backfield.
Stapleton reported that Tracy Jr. is “already making a push” to be the G-Men’s lead receiving back on passing downs this season. However, he will need to prove his worth in pass protection during training camp next month.
In 2023, Tracy Jr. rushed for 716 yards and eight touchdowns while also adding 19 receptions for 132 yards. As a freshman wide receiver for Iowa in 2019, Tracy Jr. racked up 36 receptions for 589 yards and three touchdowns.
As a converted wideout, Tracy Jr. is bringing more receiving skills to the Giants’ backfield than most rookies would. He was impressive in his lone season as a starting running back, posting a 23.1% explosive run rate which was the best in this year’s draft class and ranked in the 97th percentile among all prospects since 2018. He forced 46 missed tackles last season. The Giants are hoping Tracy Jr. can continue to impress during practice and translate his dynamic receiving and tackle-breaking skills to the NFL fields during the regular season.