The New York Giants’ newly formed running back room features an intriguing collection of talent, led by projected starter Devin Singletary and backups Eric Gray and Tyrone Tracy, Jr.
Although this unit has shown some potential this summer, former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew writes in a column for NFL.com Ranking of the starting running backs of all teamsis not convinced.
Jones-Drew ranked Singletary 32nd out of 32 starting running backs, arguing that the Giants would have to accept a significant decline from last year’s starter Saquon Barkley, who joined the Eagles via free agency and ranked fifth on Jones-Drew’s list.
“The Giants were willing to take a step back in the running game when Saquon Barkley left for the rival Eagles,” Jones-Drew said. “Singletary was good in Houston last season, setting career highs in runs and yards, but he’s not going to draw the attention of opposing defenses.”
Having played the position in the NFL, Jones-Drew’s opinion is not to be taken lightly, but in this case he is a bit harsh on Singletary, nicknamed “Engine,” and his potential contribution to the Giants’ running game.
Singletary has never had a 1,000-yard season or been a Pro Bowler, unlike Barkley. But he has been the rushing yardage leader on every NFL team he has played for, and he has been far more durable than Barkley, who has sat out all but two seasons during his six-year tenure in the league.
But a closer look reveals that Barkley has 75 broken tackles in his career (out of 1,201 regular-season rushing attempts) and a 42.5 percent completion rate (an average defined as achieving at least 40 percent of the required yards on the first attempt, 60 percent on the second attempt, and 100 percent on the third attempt).
Singletary’s numbers in those categories aren’t that far off. He has a career success rate of 48.8 and 61 broken tackles (on 888 rushing attempts).
In the passing game, Barkley has a 72.7 percent catch rate with 12 touchdown catches, but only a 38.1 percent success rate in achieving the minimum yardage, as previously discussed in this analysis. In his career as a pass receiver, he has broken 32 tackles, dropped 26 passes and has been on the other side of five balls that were ruled interceptions.
Singletary has a 75.8 percent catch rate despite only throwing for four touchdowns and a 45.9 percent yardage success rate. He has also broken 15 tackles as a receiver and has only 20 drops and one interception in his career.
These numbers, along with Singletary’s relatively clean injury history, certainly support the notion that the Giants made a good deal by signing Singletary instead of Barkley.
That’s not to say Singletary should be ranked ahead of Barkley, but placing him that low is simply a travesty. Panthers rookie Jonathon Brooks, who tore his ACL last November, won’t be fit until the third week of the season, and yet he was listed two spots ahead of Singletary despite playing on a team whose offensive line was probably as much of a question mark as Singletary’s.
Jones-Drew ranked former San Diego Chargers running back Austin Ekeler four spots ahead of Singletary, even though he now plays in Washington behind an offensive line that raises as many questions as the Giants’. Ekeler may catch a lot of checkdowns from Jayden Daniels, but that doesn’t make him much better than Singletary.
Another mystery is Rhamondre Stevenson of the New England Patriots, ranked 22nd. Stevenson will likely get more play than he has in the past, as the quarterback position is unsettled. Jacoby Brissett certainly won’t scare opponents, so they may have to put up with more from Stevenson, who just signed a four-year, $36 million contract extension in June.
For the sake of completeness, Jones-Drew lists Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers as the best running back in the NFL. He is followed by Derrick Henry of the Baltimore Ravens. But placing Singletary at the very bottom? This ranking is clearly debatable.
