Anthony Rivardo
Tyrone Tracy Jr. closed the 2025 season by joining Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley as the only players in Giants history with 1,000-plus scrimmage yards in each of their first two seasons. The reward for that company has been a slide down the depth chart conversation.
Cam Skattebo owns the offseason buzz after an exciting rookie start, and the Giants brought in fullback Patrick Ricard to clear his path in Matt Nagy’s new offense. Tracy enters 2026 penciled in as the RB2, a label that undersells what he has already put on tape.
Two Years, Two 1,000-Yard Seasons
Tracy has been productive from the day the Giants drafted him in the fifth round in 2024. As a rookie, he ran for 839 yards on 192 carries with five touchdowns and added 38 catches for 284 yards, then followed it with 740 rushing yards, 36 receptions, and 1,028 yards from scrimmage in 2025. Reaching 1,000 scrimmage yards twice to start a career put him in a three-man club at a position the franchise has leaned on for decades.
According to PFF, Tracy totaled 546 yards after contact as a rusher in 2024, the most on the team, and graded his rookie rushing at 69.6 with a 50.8 elusive rating that ranked 36th among NFL backs. Tracy creates yards the blocking does not, the trait that shows up when the line in front of him is a work in progress.
The Skattebo Factor
Skattebo ran for 410 yards on 101 carries at 4.1 per rush with five touchdowns and caught 24 balls before a dislocated ankle in Week 8 ended his rookie year. He is set up for a heavy workload as the presumed starter, and the fullback addition signals a downhill, physical plan built around his running style.
Skattebo’s touchdown punch and power are real, and so is the durability question after an injury-shortened debut. Put the two 2025 seasons side by side, and the case for a genuine committee gets clearer.
| Metric (2025) | Tyrone Tracy Jr. | Cam Skattebo |
|---|---|---|
| Rushing yards | 740 | 410 |
| Rushing TD | 2 | 5 |
| Receptions | 36 | 24 |
| Receiving yards | 288 | 207 |
| Games played | 16 | 8 |
Tracy played a full season while Skattebo managed eight games, and the receiving edge is the tell. Tracy caught 36 passes on 48 targets, the kind of passing-down usage that keeps a back on the field on third down regardless of who starts on first.
How Matt Nagy Could Use Both
The expectation is a shared backfield, not a hard bench. Nagy’s Kansas City offenses rotated backs by situation, and the Giants have the personnel to do it: Skattebo between the tackles behind Ricard, Tracy as the change-of-pace and receiving threat who can flex the defense sideline to sideline. Splitting the load also protects both from the injury risk that already cost Skattebo half a rookie season.
The math still favors Tracy more than the offseason chatter suggests. He is the back on the roster with two full seasons of production; he is signed cheaply through 2027 on his rookie deal, and he beats every alternative in the passing game. A player with 1,028 scrimmage yards last season does not vanish because a rookie got the headlines. Tracy has earned the touches. The offense should keep feeding him.
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