Giants rookie suffers tough blow and is carted off the field right after promising debut

In his preseason debut against the Detroit Lions last week, Tracy carried the ball five times and had 26 yards — 5.2 yards per attempt. The rookie out of Purdue was expected to have an immediate role within the offense.

Options

If Tracy misses extensive time, the Giants will have a depth issue. The best options are veteran Devin Singletary, whom New York signed in free agency, and last year’s fifth-round pick Eric Gray, who also had a promising performance against the Lions.

Beyond them, the Giants have two undrafted rookies, Lorenzo Lingard and Dante Miller.

If the Giants want to add more pieces to the running back room, the best free agent options are older players like Kareem Hunt, Latavius Murray, and Jerick McKinnon. Other available players include Marlon Mack, Joshua Kelley, and RB/WR hybrid Lynn Bowden.

However, the offseason edition of Hard Knocks let clear that Giants general manager Joe Schoen doesn’t value the running back position as much.

He thinks a good protection is enough to build a strong running game, and that’s why the team was never close to extending Barkley. It was a matter of roster-building philosophy and positional value.

"I think the priority right now is the offensive line," Schoen said. "We're going to be fine."

Similar discussions are the most likely reason for the Giants not to re-sign safety Xavier McKinney, who ended up going to the Green Bay Packers.

As part of the plan to build the offense around quarterback Daniel Jones, the Giants added offensive linemen Jermaine Eluemunor and Jon Runyan in free agency.