The New York Giants put together a disappointing effort offensively on Sunday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals, falling 17-7.
One player did continue to show he has a lot to offer, however, and that was rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. — who finished with 107 scrimmage yards off 17 carries and 6 receptions. For the second straight week, Tracy was the clear lead back for Big Blue with veteran Devin Singletary (groin) sidelined, and NorthJersey.com beat reporter Art Stapleton thinks there’s a good chance that trend might persist after the latter returns.
“After watching Tyrone Tracy the past two weeks, I think you’ll see Devin Singletary have the Eric Gray role from last night,” Stapleton said, adding, “maybe with a little bit of a jump in snaps to 70%-30%, rather than 84%-18%, with Tracy continuing as the lead back.”
In a follow-up post, the long-time NYG beat writer reiterated that he “really believe[s] Singletary has been Wally Pipp’d.”
For those that are unfamiliar with Wally Pipp, he was a former New York Yankees first baseman who manned the position just before Lou Gehrig.
“[Pipp’s] headache on June 2, 1925, left a historical consequence for the Yankees,” explained Pinstripes Nation writer Esteban Quiñones on June 2, 2023. “As he opted out of the game, manager Miller Huggins entrusted a rookie first baseman … to fill in for Pipp. The talented rookie, Lou Gehrig, swiftly established himself in the position and went on to occupy the role of the Yankees’ first baseman for an astounding 2,130 consecutive games, setting a record that stood for nearly six decades.”
Quiñones even notes that “certain sportswriters have audaciously transformed ‘Pipped’ into a verb to describe [a situation where] … a seasoned player is replaced in the starting lineup.”
Clearly, Stapleton believes Tracy has accomplished that.
Could 50-50 Split Occur Between Devin Singletary & Tyrone Tracy in Giants Backfield?
Stapleton may be all-in on Tracy taking over the NYG backfield, but let’s not forget how much head coach Brian Daboll likes Singletary.
Just before Week 1, Daboll referred to the veteran as “an all-purpose back” that can be used on all three downs. “Whether that’s running inside, outside, pass protection, routes, you don’t have to sub [Singletary] a bunch,” the Giants HC said at the time.
Over the first four weeks of the season, Daboll pretty much stuck to that too, playing Singletary on 71% of offensive snaps according to Pro Football Reference. Tracy fluctuated from 21% to a high of 31% over that span.
Obviously, there’s been a shift without Singletary in the lineup. Similar to Darius Slayton replacing the role of Malik Nabers at wide receiver, Tracy has slotted in for Singletary inside Daboll’s system.
The real question is — will Daboll continue to deploy a lead-back gameplan if Singletary returns in Week 7? Or will he transform it into more of a 50/50 split?
Stapleton is leaning toward Daboll sticking to his scheme, with Tracy unseating Singletary. But perhaps the latter is more likely as the Giants offense evolves and finds ways to utilize all of their talent.
Giants Rushing Attack Has Been Reliant on Repetition
The other issue has been consistency, when discussing the Giants’ RB production. Singletary and Tracy have both added a lot in the passing game, but neither has run the ball for a dominant yards per carry average.
For all his success in recent weeks, Tracy has rushed for 4.43 yards per carry as a rookie. His breakout performance against the Seattle Seahawks (7.17 YPC) was mostly negated by a 2.94 YPC average versus the Bengals.
Similarly, it’s been tough sledding for Singletary too.
His most efficient performance as a runner came in Week 2, with 5.94 YPC. Overall, though, Singletary has only rushed for 3.95 YPC on the year with a low of 1.71 YPC against the Dallas Cowboys.
Now, this may be an offensive line problem rather than a running back issue, but the ground game must improve either way. When your quarterback is Daniel Jones and not Patrick Mahomes, you can’t expect to win games by throwing the ball 40 to 50 times every week.
The Giants need a more balanced offense in Week 7, and whether it’s Singletary or Tracy carrying the football, that includes the running back position.
