A strong argument can be made that if the Giants stick with Saquon Barkley and Devontae Booker as their one-two punch at running back and re-sign fullback Eli Penny, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent, they should be good to go for 2022.
On the surface, that's true. But one of the difficult decisions general manager Joe Schoen will need to make is whether to keep Barkley (likely) and his $7+ million cap hit while sending Booker and his $3.125 million cap hit packing.
Regardless of where they go with that direction--and I'll have more on that in a moment--it might behoove the Giants to be proactive in adding a young running back to the mix, considering both Barkley and Booker are in the final years of their respective deals and that both are unlikely to be on the roster in 2023.
Let's start with Barkley. There is a growing number of people who think the Giants should look to trade Barkley now, while they can.
Unless the Giants are going to get something substantial in return for the former Penn State star--as in assets that they can turn into starters at other positions--it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to move on from Barkley, a player whom the prior coaching staffs have been unable to fully optimize.
Or does it?
When he hasn't been sidelined with an injury--all three of his injuries' have been to his most valuable asset, his legs--Barkley has been a boom or bust type of runner who always seems to be seeking the home run ball rather than settling for the dirty yards that are there.
A quick look at his career stats shows he's averaged 4.46 yards per carry and has recorded 69 rushes of 10 or more yards and 27 of 20 or more. Barkley also has a 1.8 percent negative rushing yardage rate and a 13.8 percent stuff rate.
To be fair, Barkley, much like quarterback Daniel Jones, has suffered behind an inconsistent offensive line. And because of his injuries, Barkley hasn't quite looked like the elusive back capable of making people miss in the open field the way he did as a rookie when he forced 40 missed tackles.
Whether the Giants plan to retain Saquon Barkley for the long term or trade him, it might behoove them to add to their cache. Like Devontae Booker (assuming he’s not a cap casualty), Barkley is entering the final year of his contract, which means at some point, the Giants will need to replenish this position. They did draft Gary Brightwell last year to add to the mix, but Brightwell is more of a special teams guy who might not even be a lock for the roster this year.
In looking at what the Bills did at running back, their top two players on the depth chart, Devin Singletary (No. 74 overall) and Zack Moss (No. 86 overall) were both third-round draft picks, and the rest were free-agent signings.
Thus it’s probably not a stretch to assume that Schoen won’t be spending a top-100 pick on a running back, nor should he this year if, again, the plan is to stay with Barkley, Booker, newcomer Antonio Williams (Schoen’s first Giants signing) and Penny (if he's re-signed).
If the Giants add another running back, they probably won't do so until the fourth round at the earliest.
One prospect to keep an eye on in that range is Florida's Dameon Pierce, 5-foot-10, 215 pounds. Pearce isn't the fastest running back in this class, but he is one of the most physical--a guy who runs over people, particularly in the second level.
Because he was part of a rotation, Pearce has limited tread on his tires. But Pearce, who had a solid week of practice at the Senior Bowl, showed himself capable of making quick decisions and in pass protection.
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