The Most Underrated Move the Giants Made in Free Agency So Far

With every major transaction during the NFL's free agency period, there are usually pros and cons that accompany an available player taking his professional journey to a new team and city.

For the New York Giants and their bevy of fresh signings in the first wave of free agency, a couple of new partnerships they've established feel like total wins for the organization and for what they hope to achieve in the first year of the John Harbaugh head-coaching era.

They've replaced difficult veteran departures with cheaper, high-quality options. These options have the same or sufficient experience to step into key roles on both sides of the ball.

On the offensive end in particular, they've added pieces that are going to make that unit a lot more dangerous than it was with a rookie Jaxson Dart under center.

If we had to pick the one move in the past week that has created the most intrigue for what's to come in the 2026 season, it'd have to be one of the multiple reunions from Harbaugh's time with the Baltimore Ravens that is bracing to bring back a long-forsaken element to the Giants' offensive attack.

Patrick Ricard Will Help Bring Old School Football Back to the Giants Offense

New York Giants fullback Patrick Ricard — Oct 26, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard (42) on the sidelines dung the game against the Chicago Bears at M&T Bank Stadium. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Giants entered the offseason with an extensive list of position groups they needed to address over the course of free agency and the draft. Very few people projected the backfield to earn a new piece that could truly be considered one of one in the league.

The Giants’ new partnership is with former Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard. He earned his reputation as the lead bull in John Harbaugh’s run-heavy system. Now, he brings that same power to East Rutherford, signing in free agency with his longtime coach.

Last season, the Giants' rushing game was actually one of the surprising strengths despite their poor 4-13 record and the loss of rookie Cam Skattebo to an ankle injury after he was starting to capture a firm hold on the running back order with his power running in the trenches.

New York finished the 2025 campaign ranked fifth in rushing yards (129.1 per contest) and fourth in rushing touchdowns (22), the latter boosted by the dual-threat abilities of quarterback Jaxson Dart, which added extra confidence to the ground game.

Their core of ball carriers was a nice surprise that complemented the inconsistent passing attack. Ricard's arrival will bring old-school power running, which has been missing from their game plan in recent seasons.

The three rushing teams in the four major categories last season loved to deploy the 31-year-old fullback in select I-formations, serving as what Ricard called the "pancake blocker" for their already massive chief running back, Derrick Henry, whose unique size and strength have always been a weakness for most opposing defenses.

Henry can make defenders think twice about touching him as he comes through the gaps. When the Ravens added a 300-pound fullback in Ricard to pave the way, rushing damage, in most cases, increased.

Baltimore recorded 1,697 yards after contact in 2025. They averaged 1.90 yards before contact, according to Tru Media via the Locked On Giants podcast.

After Ricard joined, his impact on carving rushing lanes was almost as efficient. The Ravens netted 702 yards and an average of 1.83 yards per rush with Ricard on the field.

With Skattebo sidelined after his Week 8 injury, the Giants lost that size of beef. He could bulldoze the first defenders out of the way. The team finished the season with an average of 1.68 yards before contact per rush last fall. They churned 1,334 yards after contact.

The Giants have seen the negative impact of a poor rushing attack in prior seasons. It has set them back on late downs and made it harder to advance the drive to the endzone.

Harbaugh is dead set on changing that, relying heavily on the backfield to set the tone of contests by weakening defenses and then letting the passing game get unleashed from there.

Ricard will reunite with his coach to Ricard will reunite with his coach to help the cause. As he put it in his introductory presser after signing with the Giants, they want to make opposing teams not want to face the Giants on Sundays.

Opponents will see two relentless players steaming right toward them between the hash marks.

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