The New York Giants hired John Harbaugh as their new head coach this past January, and that means they will be getting back to basics.
Big Blue will seek advantages in the trenches on both sides of the ball, focusing on establishing the run on offense and shutting it down on defense.
Harbaugh, who was a huge proponent of running the football during his 18 seasons as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, will look to do that here in New York. Last season, the Ravens ran the football on 52 percent of their offensive snaps, the only NFL team to run more than they passed.
The Giants ran the ball on 47.1 percent of their offensive plays in 2025, seventh-highest in the NFL. They also ran it 511 times, second most in the league behind Buffalo (547). They ranked in the top five in the NFL in rushing touchdowns, rushing yards, rushing first downs, and runs of 10 yards or more. The Giants rushed for over 100 yards in nine consecutive games, the longest streak in the NFL last year.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart will do his share of rushing this season, and that will spike this season, but they have a group of very talented and diverse running backs that will get plenty of opportunities to shine.
Here’s a quick preview of the Giants’ running backs room heading into training camp this summer.
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy
Nagy is a very adaptable coach, forging game plans based on the strengths of the team’s personnel. He had Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, a player who relied on improvisation for success, much like Dart does. The Chiefs were 25th in run/pass ratio at 24.3 percent last year with Nagy as the offensive coordinator. With Harbaugh in charge here in New York, he’ll be taking the air out of the ball a bit more.
Run game coordinator Greg Roman
Roman’s official title is Senior Offensive Assistant. Still, he’s been a Harbaugh guy for most of his career, working under both John and his brother, Jim, several times each in his three-decade coaching career. Roman has served as offensive coordinator for four NFL teams: San Francisco, Buffalo, Baltimore, and, most recently, the Los Angeles Chargers. Brian Callahan will run the passing game, and it looks as if Roman will be doing a lot of the heavy lifting in the other areas.
Cam Skattebo
The big question regarding the second-year star is whether he’ll be 100 percent healthy for the regular season after rehabbing from the serious ankle injury he suffered in Week 8 last season. He was at minicamp, going through drills and appeared as if he was well on his way back, but he’ll be required to do much more in training camp.
Skattebo wrested the lead back role with his energetic and inspired play as a rookie in 2025, rushing 101 times for 410 yards (a 4.1 average) and five touchdowns, and added 24 receptions for 207 yards (an 8.6 average) and two more touchdowns. Skattebo finished second on the team in scoring with 44 points in just eight games played. Skattebo ranked fourth in the NFL in points scored among offensive players and led all rookies in yards from scrimmage.
Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Many see Tracy as a sleeper of sorts this season as a change-up back to Skattebo. He displayed his value after Skattebo was lost for the season in Week 8. In 15 games (11 starts) played, Tracy rushed 176 times for a team-high 740 rushing yards (4.2 YPC) and two touchdowns and recorded 36 receptions for 288 yards (an 8.0 average) and two more touchdowns.
Tracy gained a total of 1,028 yards in 2025 and is just the third player in franchise history to have 1,000 or more scrimmage yards in each of his first two seasons (Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley are the others) with the Giants. A fifth-round pick in 2024, Tracy is the only player in the 2024 NFL draft class to record 1,000 or more yards from scrimmage in each of the last two seasons.
Devin Singletary
The Giants brought “Motor” back on a one-year deal this offseason. He will be 29 this season but still has great value as a backfield-by-committee-type contributor. Last season, Singletary had 119 carries for 437 yards and five touchdowns. He added 18 receptions for another 151 yards.
Eric Gray
The fifth-round pick out of Oklahoma in 2023 has not made much of an impact in his three seasons with the club. He has mainly been used as a returner and has had some ball security issues early on. He was limited to just four games in 2025 due to a torn meniscus. He will have to shine brightly in camp to be considered for the 53-man roster.
Dante Miller
The man they call “Turbo” is in his third season with the Giants and has spent most of his time here on the practice squad. He has dressed for just two games since joining the club as a UDFA out of South Carolina by way of Columbia in 2024. He could be destined for another season on the practice squad.
Damon Bankston
Bankston was the only rookie addition to the room this spring. The UDFA out of New Mexico by way of Weber State has 4.43 speed and special teams ability that attracted the Giants to him. That’s what will get him a spot on the 53-man roster if he does at all.
The Giants aren’t likely to keep six running backs, so a few will get cut and/or put on the practice squad. Then, of course, there are always injuries, so they are bound to keep this group close.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants training camp preview: Running backs will play key role in 2026
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By John Fennelly, Giants Wire | USA TODAY Network
