NY Giants are building a physical offense with the potential to have an elite rushing attack

There’s a new blueprint for the Giants’ offense that looks ready to break some wills in 2026. John Harbaugh’s arrival kicked off the installation of a new, physical culture and a rebranded identity built around accountability, discipline, and fundamental football. On offense, this means running the football — a lot. And this new-look Giants offense has the potential to be elite.

The Greg Roman Effect

By hiring Greg Roman as a senior offensive assistant, the Giants have effectively imported the most prolific run-game architect of the last decade to oversee a physical overhaul of the Giants’ attack. Roman, a 27-year coaching veteran, has a history of building bully-ball units that consistently rank in the top three in rushing yards, and he’s been handed a specialized toolkit to do it again. With a high-motor backfield and a first-round mauler on the interior, the Giants are signaling a return to the smashmouth identity that defined their most successful eras.

Roman possesses an impressive track record. During his tenure as offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens (2019–2022), his offense led the NFL in rushing in back-to-back seasons, including a record-shattering 3,296 rushing yards in 2019. Even in his most recent stint with the Chargers in 2025, Roman’s influence was clear, helping Justin Herbert record a career-high 498 rushing yards.

His arrival in New York suggests the Giants will pivot toward heavy personnel and sophisticated gap-scheme runs, utilizing creative blocking angles to maximize the athletic ceiling of their young roster.

The Engine Room: Tracy and Skattebo

The backfield depth chart is headlined by two physical young runners. Tyrone Tracy Jr. enters Year 3 coming off a productive 2025 campaign where he rushed for 740 yards and 2 touchdowns, maintaining a healthy 4.2 yards per carry.

He is paired with Cam Skattebo, the 2025 fourth-round sensation who is entering Year 2 with a reputation as the league’s most unhinged runner. Despite an injury-shortened rookie season, Skattebo earned an 80.5 overall PFF grade, racking up 410 rushing yards and 7 total touchdowns in just eight games.

For a Giants team building a wrecking ball identity, having both a versatile playmaker like Tracy and a physical outlier like Skattebo ensures the ground game never loses its punch.

The Mauler and the Lead Blocker

To ensure Roman’s schemes translate to the field, the Giants invested the No. 10 overall pick in Miami’s Francis Mauigoa. While a tackle in college, Mauigoa is moving to right guard to act as a primary puller in Roman’s power-run concepts. Standing 6’5” and 340 pounds, Mauigoa posted an elite 77.1 PFF run-blocking grade in 2025, proving he has the raw strength to move NFL-sized defensive tackles.

The final piece of the puzzle is veteran fullback Pat Ricard, a four-time Pro Bowler who previously served as the linchpin of Roman’s Baltimore offenses. Ricard’s ability to act as a sixth offensive lineman will give the Giants a numbers advantage in the box that they haven’t enjoyed in years.

The Dual-Threat Catalyst: Jaxson Dart

While the backs provide the bulk, the true X-factor in this run-centric attack is quarterback Jaxson Dart. Entering his second season, Dart has proven that his legs can be a nightmare for opposing defenses.

In 2025, Dart registered 487 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns (the franchise record for the most rushing touchdowns by a Giants quarterback in a single season). By forcing defenders to respect his legs, Dart creates the necessary spatial advantages for Roman’s complicated blocking schemes to thrive, making this rushing attack truly multidimensional.

The Giants are Building a Sustainable Foundation

The Giants have built an offense that doesn’t just rely on Dart’s arm to win games. This run-centric approach is designed to control the clock, keep the defense fresh, and exploit the team’s newly discovered size on offense. If Mauigoa and Ricard can consistently pave the way for Tracy and Skattebo, the Giants will have successfully built a portable offense that can win in the cold of December—exactly what John Harbaugh promised when he took the job.

By Anthony Rivardo

Anthony Rivardo is the COO of Empire Sports Media and the host of Fireside Giants, a New York Giants ... More about Anthony Rivardo