Giants 2021 Unrestricted Free Agent Primer: RB Wayne Gallman
The New York Giants have been knee-deep in evaluating every player on their roster to determine who is part of the team’s future and who will be moving on.
I will break down every one of the Giants’ unrestricted free agents (UFAs) by revisiting their 2020 seasons, assessing why they should or should not be re-signed.
Then, using OTC's premium stats and advanced valuations tables, I try to arrive at an ideal contract before concluding with a prediction as to whether the player will be a Giant in 2021.
Let's kick off this series with a look at running back Wayne Gallman, who was Johnny-on-the-spot for the Giants running game after the team lost Saquon Barkley and Devonta Freeman to what ended up being season-ending injuries.
2020 Season In Review
After posting a promising rookie season in which he ran 111 times for 476 yards and no touchdowns, Gallman became the forgotten man over the next two seasons, a player ignored by the previous coaching staff for whatever the reason.
In fact, 2020 started nearly the same way. Perhaps because he didn't play special teams, Gallman was a healthy scratch in Week 2, when Saquon Barkley suffered his season-ending torn ACL.
Even after that, the Giants tried to replace Barkley's production with Devonta Freeman, a two-time Pro Bowler, who suffered an ankle sprain that ended up being a season-ender.
With their options dwindling, the Giants put the ball in Gallman's hands, and he rewarded them with some strong power running between the tackles.
He finished with career highs in rushing attempts (147), rushing yards (682), and rushing touchdowns (6). His rushing touchdowns led the Giants' skill position players in scoring (Gallman finished second on the team in scoring with 36 points, behind team leader Graham Gano's 114 points).
Gallman also added 21 receptions for 114 yards, not career highs (those were set as a rookie in 2017). His game's real strength was in his ability to pick up yards after contact, where he averaged 3.63 yards after contact, fourth among running backs with a minimum of 100 rushing attempts.
In short, it was Gallman's coming out party, a strong performance in a four-year career that otherwise saw him mysteriously buried on the depth chart.
Dec 6, 2020; Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Giants running back Wayne Gallman (22) rushes against the Seattle Seahawks during the third quarter at Lumen Field.
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Why the Giants Should Re-Sign Gallman
There is a lot of optimism that Barkley will be as good as new, but if I'm the Giants, I don't think it's a good idea to put all my eggs in that basket.
You might remember a few years ago that optimism was sky-high for receiver Victor Cruz when he was trying to rehab from a torn patellar tendon only to hit a snag during his rehab that cost him a second season.
Gallman showed that when given a chance, he could keep the running game humming. While no one will mistake his skill set with that of a healthy Barkley's, at the end of the day, so long as the ground game is moving the chains, isn't that all that matters?
Why the Giants Should Let Gallman Walk
I hate to start this series out by pointing to the reduced salary cap because, as a rule, if a team wants to re-sign someone, they'll find a way to make it work. But in this case, I think re-signing Gallman to a new contract would be more of a luxury that the Giants won't be able to afford.
Running backs are usually easily replaceable, and this year's draft class has a few that could prove to be good value as Day 3 picks. If you're the Giants and you're taking the odds that Barkley will return as good as new, do you think it makes sense to spend millions on Gallman, or are you better off with a younger prospect who will probably cost half of that amount?
I've always been a fan of how Gallman runs--been saying it since he was a rookie. But when it comes to dollars and cents, letting Gallman walk is the sensible thing to do.
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Ideal Contract
3 years, $8 million + incentives (APY $2.6 million per year)
Prediction
I don't pretend to know what Wayne Gallman wants in the next phase of his career, but I wouldn't be surprised if what he wants is an opportunity to be a RB1 or RB1A in a shared rotation.
If Saquon Barkley returns at full strength as is being predicted, the Giants won't be able to provide that opportunity to Gallman, and quite frankly, at that point, it would be best if the two sides went their separate ways and the Giants draft a Day 3 prospect.
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