Analysis
The Giants have removed a running back from their options. They still have to establish what makes their running game work. Tuesday’s release of Najee Harris brings that distinction into focus: changing the personnel can simplify a rotation, but it cannot, by itself, explain or repair the conditions in which those players carry the ball.
New York confirmed Harris’ release on October 20, alongside the release of outside linebacker Jihad Ward. The club also signed Trace Ford from its practice squad to the active roster and added receiver Jason Brownlee to the practice squad. Those are completed transactions. A settled offensive identity is a separate proposition.
The useful way to assess Harris’ departure is to connect the roster decision with the Giants’ own account of their most recent game and John Harbaugh’s subsequent explanation of the offense. Together, those sources suggest a more demanding test than simply asking which remaining back gets the first carry. New York needs repeatable rushing production, and it needs to identify who is responsible when a play fails.
Look beneath the team average
The Giants’ official recap of their 34–27 loss to New Orleans reports 84 rushing yards on 20 attempts. That is 4.2 yards per attempt, calculated by dividing the yardage by the carries. But the same account identifies a 28-yard J.J. McCarthy scramble on the final drive.
Remove that one play for a limited comparison and the remaining attempts produced 56 yards on 19 carries, or approximately 2.9 yards per attempt. That is not a running-back average: the remaining total still includes attempts by other positions. Nor is removing a successful play a fair way to erase its contribution. It is a way to show how much the overall figure depends on one gain.
This distinction matters when judging a roster change. A team rushing total measures everything classified as a rush. It does not automatically describe the reliability of the designed handoff game. If a quarterback’s improvisation lifts the average, the offensive staff still needs to know whether its called runs are giving the next snap a manageable starting point.
A smaller rotation needs a clearer test
Harris started against the Saints, and the Giants dressed four running backs. Their recap says Tyrone Tracy Jr. led the team with six carries for 18 yards, while Cam Skattebo did not have a rushing attempt. Those details describe how unevenly opportunities can be distributed even when several backs are available.
Fewer names can make a rotation easier to administer. The stronger measure, however, is whether the assignments become clearer. Early-down carries, passing-down protection and receiving work ask different things of a back. Giving one player more snaps can improve continuity while still leaving a specific job poorly covered.
For that reason, the next evaluation should separate workload from execution. A larger share of carries establishes opportunity. It does not establish that a runner chose the right lane, that a blocker completed the assignment, or that the call suited the defensive look. Those judgments require play-level evidence; they cannot be read from Tuesday’s transaction list.
Keep responsibility across the offense
In the Giants’ published October 19 press-conference transcript, Harbaugh expressed disappointment with the running results and identified inadequate blocking. He also described the offense as still developing and argued for an attack that can threaten opponents in more than one way. His explanation gives the personnel move a wider context without assigning a motive that the club has not stated.
The analytical implication is straightforward: replacing an option in the backfield should not end the review at the backfield. If the first defender reaches the runner before a useful lane develops, changing who receives the handoff may leave the underlying problem intact. Conversely, creating space does not absolve a runner from making good decisions. Accountability works best when it follows the assignment.
Balance also needs a practical definition. A run call is valuable when the defense has reason to respect it and when it helps the offense sustain useful choices. Merely accumulating carries to produce an attractive run-pass split can disguise unproductive possessions. The question is whether New York can call either type of play without repeatedly putting itself behind schedule.
Harris’ release is therefore a point at which to sharpen the evaluation, rather than declare it finished. The Giants have made a confirmed personnel decision. Their next performances can show how they distribute the remaining work and whether the underlying execution improves. Until then, neither a new lead back nor a repaired running game should be treated as an established outcome.
Image credit: Sgt. Randall A. Clinton, U.S. Marine Corps, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Archival view of MetLife Stadium before the August 16, 2010 Jets–Giants preseason game; it does not depict the 2026 Giants. Resized; no content alterations.
