New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh would gladly abandon his running-back-by-committee approach if a clear leader emerged in the backfield. Speaking after a difficult stretch for the offense, Harbaugh made it clear that the team’s current personnel have not yet earned the kind of featured workload associated with elite runners across the league.
“I would love for us to be in that kind of a circumstance,” Harbaugh said, referencing star runners around the NFL. “A Derrick Henry circumstance or a Saquon Barkley circumstance, or whatever it might be. That would be great. Our run game hasn’t earned that yet, and none of those guys have.”
The backfield situation carries notable irony for the franchise. The organization previously held Barkley for six seasons before general manager Joe Schoen allowed him to depart in free agency over a contract dispute involving less than $1.5 million per year. Barkley subsequently secured NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors and a Super Bowl title elsewhere.
To replace Barkley, the Giants signed Devin Singletary more economically and drafted Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the fifth round in 2024. They later added Cam Skattebo in the fourth round of the 2025 draft and signed Najee Harris over the summer, creating a crowded quartet in the backfield.
That group struggled significantly during a 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints, combining for just 14 carries for 34 yards against an opponent boasting the league’s No. 30 rushing defense. For the season, the Giants rank No. 22 overall with an average of 3.8 yards per carry.
“It’s disappointing,” Harbaugh said regarding the ground game’s output. “I thought we’d be running the ball better at this point in time in terms of outcome and result, and we haven’t been able to do it. But we have to find it.”
The head coach pointed to collective shortcomings across the offense, noting that the unit is failing to block effectively, run with sufficient skill, or generate adequate yardage and consistency. While acknowledging the effort and volume of runs attempted, he emphasized that the execution falls short of the team’s standards.
Player reactions to the crowded rotation have varied as the struggles continue. Skattebo expressed surprise after seeing his workload slashed drastically—dropping from an average of 18 touches per game to zero snaps with the offense against the Saints as punishment for fumbling four times across five games. Meanwhile, Harris voiced frustration that running backs struggle to establish a rhythm when touches are divided among four players.
Harbaugh responded directly to those concerns while maintaining that playing time is tied strictly to performance on the field. “Understand it. Respect it,” Harbaugh said. “Also understand that that’s earned.”
Amid the broader offensive struggles, Tracy managed to score two touchdowns against the Saints, finding the end zone once on the ground and once through the air. Harbaugh reiterated his simple directive to the roster’s ball-carriers.
“My advice would be … do the most you can with the opportunities you get and you’re sure to get more opportunities,” Harbaugh said. “Do something. So, I get it that you want to get out there and you want to get a rhythm, but that rhythm is earned, too, and it just hasn’t happened yet.”
Drawing on his extensive coaching history, which includes managing yearlong committees as well as riding workhorse backs like Henry during his tenure with the Baltimore Ravens, Harbaugh noted that all of his current running backs want the primary job.
“I know that each of the guys — because I’ve talked to all those guys — want to be that guy,” Harbaugh said. “They’re not advocating for the other guy to be that guy. They’re advocating for themself to be that guy. My advice is take the job when you get the ball.”
