Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. cleared 1,000 scrimmage yards in each of his first two NFL seasons, and he did it in 2025 while giving up early-down carries to a rookie for half the year. He enters 2026 wearing the RB2 label, a title that undersells what a fifth-round pick has already put on tape.
Cam Skattebo is the presumed starter, but he is working back from a dislocated right ankle and fractured fibula that ended his rookie season in Week 8. John Harbaugh’s run-first offense under coordinator Matt Nagy needs two backs to hold up over 17 games, and the health timeline in front of Skattebo could hand Tracy more of the early load than the depth chart suggests.
The résumé is better than the label
Tyrone Tracy runs for the Giants against the Cowboys
Tracy rushed for 895 yards and five touchdowns on 192 carries as a rookie in 2024 while adding 38 catches for 284 yards, the second-most rushing yards by a rookie running back in Giants history behind Saquon Barkley’s 2018. He backed it up in 2025 with 740 rushing yards, 36 receptions, and four total touchdowns, crossing 1,000 scrimmage yards again despite a stretch buried behind Skattebo. PFF graded him 70.2 overall, 35th among 55 qualified running backs, a solid mark for a back the roster treats as a complementary piece.
Season Rush Yds Rush TD Rec Rec Yds
2024 895 5 38 284
2025 740 2 36 288
Two seasons, two 1,000-yard scrimmage totals, on a rookie contract signed after the Giants took him 165th overall.
The passing game is where he’s underused
Tyrone Tracy, NFL: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Tracy caught 36 of 43 targets in 2025, a reliable rate for a running back and a nod to the wide receiver he was earlier in his college career at Purdue. Yet third downs were the one situation in which he played under half of the Giants’ offensive snaps last season, an odd split for a back whose hands are his cleanest NFL-ready trait. Nagy’s passing concepts lean on backs who can flex out and win on option routes, and that is precisely the role New York has left on the table. The scheme finally fits the skill.
Skattebo’s recovery changes the math
Cam Skattebo, NFL: Washington Commanders at New York Giants
Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Skattebo piled up 617 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns on 125 touches in eight games before his injury, a physical rookie profile the Giants love. The Week 8 injury was serious, a dislocated right ankle with a fractured fibula and a ruptured deltoid ligament that required season-ending surgery.
Harbaugh said in the spring that Skattebo is on schedule and should participate “early on in camp,” according to Pro Football Talk, but “early in camp” is a long way from a full 17-game workload out of the gate. Tracy is the healthy, proven insurance the Giants can lean on while the starter ramps up.
The Giants have thunder and lightning, if they use it
The committee the Giants want pairs Skattebo’s power with Tracy’s burst and receiving value, the modern version of thunder and lightning. Tracy has already shown he can carry the early-down load when asked and produce as a receiver when the offense remembers to look his way. The projected split gives Skattebo the bigger share once he is right, which leaves Tracy where he has been for two years: doing more than his role advertises.
Giants fans keep calling Tracy the backup. His production keeps arguing otherwise.
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Anthony Rivardo is the COO of Empire Sports Media and the host of Fireside Giants, a New York Giants ... More about Anthony Rivardo