Ground and Pound: How Patrick Ricard and Cam Skattebo Unlock a Dangerous New Look for Giants’ Backfield

When the New York Giants open up training camp, they're going to do so with a diverse backfield filled with a mix of downhill runners, speedsters, and guys who can be difference-makers as receivers out of the backfield.

They will also have a guy who is tailor-made for moving bodies out of the way, as they introduce their first true fullback in quite some time.

This team feels pretty good about its running back room. They didn't have to run out and make any big additions to their group of ball carriers, only adding a guy who's charged with leading them through the hole. That dynamic alone makes this running back core even more scary than it was in 2025.

There are some concerns about injuries, and age is creeping up on one of them, but it should be an entertaining fight to see who carves out these spots and how this offensive brain trust plans to utilize each of them in this offense.

Giants RB Depth Chart: Starter

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tyrone Tracy Jr: Tracy enters year three of his NFL career, hoping to continue to add to his impressive back-to-back seasons of 1,000-plus scrimmage yards.

Tracy, who finished last season as the undisputed starter after the Skattebo season-ending injury, will be fighting for his share of carries and will be relied upon to help push this rushing offense to the top of the NFC East and beyond.

Giants RB Depth Chart: Backups

New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Cam Skattebo: Skattebo just seems to fit the style of running that this offense under Harbaugh will want to see.

He runs hard and physically between the tackles, is faster than people believe, and offers value out of the backfield as a receiver.

In only eight games last season, he amassed over 600 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns before injuries took away the rest of his rookie campaign.

Devin Singletary: Singletary is back for his third season with Big Blue as he seemed to settle into his role as the elder statesman in the running back room after agreeing to a pay cut.

He has been consistent over the past two seasons, running for exactly 437 yards in both 2024 and 2025. Singletary was also the Giants’ best blocking running back last year.

Eric Gray: Gray enters his fourth season on the team after a pretty low-key 2025, where he spent most of his time working on special teams.

He saw his return opportunities drop a lot in 2025, and this training camp will be a pivotal one in his career, considering all of the competition that exists.

Dante Miller: The man affectionately known as "Turbo" is lightning-fast, and it was a surprise that he did not make the final roster in 2025. Instead, he spent the season on the practice squad, hoping that he would find his way onto the field and onto the main roster for a prolonged period of time. He clearly has value, which is why he's still on the roster.

Patrick Ricard: There is a palpable excitement about Patrick Ricard being on this football team. The physical nature he provides as a 290-pound fullback is something that the Giants have not seen in a long time.

It makes people believe this staff will lean into being a physical downhill-running football team. It's all made possible because of Ricard.

Giants Drafted: None

New York Giants running back Damon Bankston | John Jones-Imagn Images

The team didn't feel a need to draft a running back, partly because they had only a limited number of draft picks and partly because they felt good about the running back room.

But they did add premium undrafted free agent Damon Bankston. Bankston was a 1,100-yard rusher at Weber State (a member of the FCS Big Sky Conference) before finishing his college career with a final season at New Mexico.

He ran for over 600 yards rushing and five touchdowns for the season. He also added nearly 400 yards receiving on 31 receptions, an impressive 12.7 yards per reception.

What We Know: Skattebo is tailor-made for this offense

In many respects, Tracy is still trying to figure out the type of running back he wants to be. His two years with the Giants give him a total of three years of playing at the position, so whether or not he fits perfectly into this new offense remains to be seen.

What can't be questioned is that Cam Skattebo was built for it. We have seen running backs like Clyde Edwards-Hilaire have a lot of success in the system that offensive coordinatorMatt Nagy is bringing from Kansas City.

We also know that the style of running in Baltimore fits exactly what Skattebo can do with the ball in his hand.

Now you can further unleash or unlock him with the addition of Ricard to lead the way through a hole; it is almost impossible to see Skattebo while he is hiding behind Ricard. When he pops out, he will be ready for violence.

What We Don’t Know: Which backs will show the most special teams value?

There is a good chance that the top of the rotation will look very similar to what it looked like in 2025, with Skattebo and Tracy sharing the load at the top and Singletary on call if needed (or if one of the two gets injured). How the rest of these guys make the team will depend on their value on special teams:

Last season, Miller seemed like the perfect candidate as a kick returner, but still didn't make the final roster.

Gray started the season on PUP, spending most of the year there before eventually being activated. By then, though, his chance to be used as a return man was pretty much over, though he showed value in other special teams areas.

Bankston could be the wildcard because he provides a triple threat: a guy who has the ability to carry the ball out of the backfield, add value as a receiver, and contribute on special teams.

This will be the game within the game to watch during training camp to see which player emerges as the favorite to be the fourth running back on this team, now that a fullback exists.

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