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Dec 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29) carries the ball during the first half against the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Giants RB Tyrone Tracy, Jr. Gets Disappointing Spot in New NFL RB Ranking

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Stephen Lebitsch | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 10:00 AM ET

When the New York Giants parted ways with running back Saquon Barkley last offseason, it immediately left a pressing issue in the team’s backfield that had no legitimate answer to replace his importance to the entire offense.

However, the Giants would soon be surprised by how much a late-round choice in the 2024 NFL Draft, that is, rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., would step into the gigantic void and fill it with what became one of the most impressive first-year resumes across the league.

A fifth-round draw out of Purdue with a dual background as a wide receiver and ball carrier in college, the initial expectations for Tracy were limited as he would fall in line behind the veteran Devin Singletary, who was signed first in the aftermath of the Barkley departure, in part due to his ties to the Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll regime in Buffalo.

The Giants thought Singletary would serve as the cheaper starter for an organization that wasn’t putting a premium on the running back position. To their surprise, it was Tracy who quickly passed Singletary in the rushing hierarchy in East Rutherford, posting a 1,000+ yard campaign from scrimmage that helped pole vault him into the top three novice backs at the end of the season.

In a full slate of 17 games, Tracy pounded the football up the gut to the tune of 192 carries for 839 yards, five touchdowns, and an average attempt of 4.5 yards. His old receiver background also provided another 38 receptions for 284 yards and one touchdown, the most by any non-wide receiver in the Giants offensive huddle.

After the regular season wrapped up, Tracy finished 25th in the NFL rushing leaderboard thanks to his laudable stats and provided the team some reason for optimism in the run game that was expected to fall flat following the loss of Barkley.

Despite all that, Tracy, in a new ranking by Pro Football Focus, didn’t get much love as he landed No. 30 among the league’s projected 32 starting running backs, the primary reason being that he hasn’t fully met the mark as a dual-threat back.

“Tracy enjoyed a solid rookie campaign in which he recorded 839 rushing yards with a 69.6 PFF rushing grade. As a former receiver, his 40.9 PFF receiving grade was disappointing, but expect that to bounce back,” said list compiler Trevor Sikkema.

Tracy’s lackluster receiving grade is quite perplexing at first glance, especially when one notices that he still ranked near the top of his rookie class when he tossed the pigskin.

The 25-year-old ranked first in targets and receiving snaps for first-year players last season while only dropping one spot lower in receptions and yards despite playing for a weak Giants offense.

Where Sikkema’s ranking can hold some water is in the issue of Tracy’s drops in that span, where he finished with six drops and was one of four Giants players with that many muffs to their name. Tracy also had some ball security issues that came at the worst times, which is another area of his game he needs to address.

One could argue that the bigger factor in his inability to shine as a receiver was the poor performance of the quarterback position, which went through a carousel and couldn’t establish any form of consistency with the arsenal at their disposal.

The three arms after Daniel Jones was released each finished with sub-54.0 passing grades, and two of them held adjusted completion percentages below 71.0% in at least 50 attempts.

Moreover, this problem could extend to the offensive line, which has consistently been inadequate over the past decade and a half, as the unit has continued to deal with injuries and a lack of experienced talent.

Only a couple of players are exceptions, and it forces the signal caller to constantly play under duress, weakening the overall success of the passing game.

No matter who gets the blame, the reality is Tracy needs to increase his aerial production if he wants to reach his full potential and earn greater respect from the pundits.

As the Giants bring in Cam Skattebo, their fourth-round draft pick, to form a new duo with Tracy, the hope is that the latter will serve as the speedy, outside zone and pass-catching option that the team once enjoyed with their elite predecessor.

Tracy can certainly be impactful with the ball in his hands, as evidenced by his 546 yards after contact as a rusher and 285 as a receiver in 2024, both numbers that led his position group.

He is more than capable and worthy of being much higher in the discussion of the most impactful running backs than the meager ranking he received in this analysis.

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