Tyrone Tracy Jr. has put the ball on the ground in each of the Giants’ first two preseason games, and it comes at the worst possible time for him. The Giants signed Najee Harris last week. Cam Skattebo and Devin Singletary are not going anywhere. The backfield went from crowded to full in the span of a few days, and Tracy picked those two weeks to have ball-security problems.
John Harbaugh was asked about him on a Sunday call with New York media and did not back away from him.
Harbaugh’s argument was that a bad play, or even two, does not erase a career’s worth of work. He pointed out that Tracy played well in Miami otherwise, with several good runs, catches and pass protection pickups, and that the one bad play happened to be the one thing a running back cannot do. He acknowledged Tracy has now had two of those in two games.
“Nobody feels worse about it than he does,” Harbaugh said.
Where He Stands In a Four-Back Room
Big Blue View’s latest projection keeps him, with Skattebo, Tracy, Singletary and Harris in and Eric Gray and Damon Bankston out. The argument there is that the Giants would regret cutting Tracy unless a running back-needy team calls Joe Schoen with real draft capital.
ESPN listed the four-back question as one of the toughest calls on the roster, alongside wide receiver. Harris was signed knowing he may not be fully ready until Week 1, which effectively makes him a lock and pushes the squeeze onto everyone behind him.
The Trade Angle
That phone call is worth sitting with. Tracy is a proven NFL back on a rookie contract, and teams are going to lose starters over the next two weeks. A club that just watched its own back go down would take him.
If the Giants are keeping four backs anyway, moving Tracy for a late pick opens a spot on a roster that has too many players worth keeping. Two fumbles in two games do not help that market, but they do not close it either.
The preseason finale is Friday night at MetLife against the Jets, and cuts follow on Saturday. Whether Tracy carries the ball much in that game will say more than a press conference does. A staff that wants to see him hold onto it gives him the work. A staff that has already decided keeps him on the sideline.
