During Tuesday’s practice, New York Giants rookie running back Tyrone Tracy muffed a punt and injured his left ankle while trying to scoop up the ball. Tracy immediately went down in a heap, representing a non-contact injury that normally spells fear of missing the entire season, let alone a few weeks.
Immediate Response and Medical Attention
Tracy was quickly ushered off the field and taken to the Hospital for Special Surgery, wearing an air cast on his leg. The immediate thought was that Tracy may have ruptured his Achilles or suffered a significant ankle injury. Fortunately, Tracy was back with the team in meetings a few hours later, as reported by Jordan Raanan of ESPN, calming some extremely anxious fans.
According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, Tracy only sprained his ankle, which would be a sigh of relief.
Tracy’s Promising Start at Training Camp
Tracy has been a standout during training camp. He gained 26 yards on just five attempts in the Giants’ first preseason game against Detroit. He averaged 5.2 yards per attempt and 4.6 yards after contact, even better than his college average of 4.44. The Giants feel that Tyrone could be a key component in the running game, and it seems as though he dodged the worst-case scenario.
Tracy’s Collegiate Background and Versatility
Last season with Purdue, the 24-year-old rookie enjoyed 714 yards on the ground, including eight touchdowns. Tracy is a former wide receiver who transitioned to running back, so he has the capacity to help in the passing game and showed some upside as a blocker.
Giants’ Running Back Strategy
Aside from Tracy, the Giants signed Devin Singletary and have second-year Oklahoma product Eric Gray. With Saquon Barkley’s departure, the team is headed in the direction of a committee approach, which will allow the best back to emerge and command reps.
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Outlook for Tracy’s Role in the Offense
As long as Tracy isn’t out for an extended amount of time, he should work his way into the equation and become a primary piece for head coach Brian Daboll to utilize on offense.