It has been a difficult season for the New York Giants, particularly on offense. New York enters Week 9 averaging fewer points per game than every team other than the Miami Dolphins (who have had four quarterbacks take snaps for them already), while they rank near the bottom of the league in just about every meaningful offensive statistic. Suffice to say, it has been a trying season for a 2-6 team that is still trying to recapture its luster from a 2022 playoff berth.
That being said, all hope is not lost in East Rutherford, no matter how severe a crisis may seem in the New York sports landscape. Quietly, every player the Giants drafted this past April has started at least one game for them, and a core of young talent could be emerging if the organization is patient enough.
Optimism can grow from any source if you don’t look past it, and, in this case, Giants fans can revel in a soon-to-be 25-year-old rookie running back who played six college seasons, was drafted in the fifth round, and was a converted wide receiver who only had one season with more than 17 carries in college. Wait, what? That is the story of Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Originally attending the University of Iowa before transferring to Purdue in 2022 and becoming a full-time starting running back in 2023, Tracy Jr. didn’t take long to prove that the position change was a valuable one. During his final college season, he led the Big Ten in yards per carry (6.3), and after also testing well at the NFL Scouting Combine, earned a path to becoming the 166th player selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Most noteworthy, however, may have been the team that selected him. After parting ways with star running back Saquon Barkley, the Giants had a relatively open running back room, with free-agent signing Devin Singletary the only established option on the roster. Thus, it was easy to see how Tracy Jr. could earn a notable role if he could impress early.
With just 12 carries over the first four weeks of the season and a snap count that never exceeded 30.6%, that role certainly had not yet emerged. Nevertheless, an opportunity can come when you least expect it. Singletary was ruled out for the Giants’ Week 5 matchup against the Seahawks with a groin injury, thrusting Tracy Jr. into the starting lineup. Since then, the results have been tremendous.
All told, Tracy is averaging more than 100 total yards per game during that span and has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in three of his four starts. Plus, he has remained the starter even when Singletary returned from injury in Week 7 and would have accumulated a larger gap in usage had he not left Week 8’s Monday night affair in Pittsburgh during the fourth quarter due to injury (concussion protocol). That is quite an astonishing turn of events!
Furthermore, the numbers back up Tracy Jr.’s production. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, his 0.4 rushing yards over expected per attempt rank 20th among running backs, while his 5.2 overall yards/carry mark is tied for sixth. He has done a tremendous job maximizing yardage before contact is made (T-4th among running backs in yards before contact/attempt), which fits with his rushing style coming out of college. TDN broke him down this past April:
“For a former WR, Tracy Jr. displays above-average contact balance to absorb hits and stay upright and on his feet. He has the elusiveness and creativity in a phone booth to make defenders miss. Tracy Jr. strings together moves to evade defenders in the lane and gain yards after contact. I appreciate his ability to change levels as a runner with patience, vision, and quick, decisive cuts upfield. He processes information best on zone-based running plays. Identifying whether the edge is hard or soft to determine if he needs to bend, bounce, or bang the run upfield. Besides his receiving ability, he displays a good pass-protection skill set. His technique, scanning/vision, and desire are admirable.”
Simply watching Tracy Jr. run demonstrates a player who is looking to take advantage of any hole that opens, making him a big-play threat at any time. This showed this past Monday night; he recorded three carries of at least 17 yards including a significant 45-yard touchdown run.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. gets loose for a 45-yard TD! 🏈⚡️ #NFL #MNF pic.twitter.com/dBQARjlT1v
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 29, 2024
Considering the Giants’ current inefficiency as an offense, Tracy Jr.’s explosiveness serves as a very welcome change of pace, but he should be able to provide more than that moving forward. His status returning from the concussion protocol before this Sunday remains in question, yet he has more than proven himself as an impact player moving forward. New York will face a bottom-12 rushing defense in yards/game allowed in each of their next five games, which will only provide more chances for the rookie to shine. In fact, it would be surprising for him not to lead rookie running backs in rushing by the end of the season.
If so, that would continue to illustrate one key lesson about the NFL: it is anything but predictable.
