The New York Giants drafted running back Saquon Barkley second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft and he was a star on their offense immediately, winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in that first season. He was a key part of their offense until this offseason, when he signed with the divisional rival Philadelphia Eagles in free agency.
Barkley led the Giants in rushing yards in 2023, 2022, 2019 and 2018. Letting go of a player like that is never an easy decision for a franchise, but the writing was on the wall, especially after they gave a big pay day to quarterback Daniel Jones.
The first episode of the offseason edition of "Hard Knocks" premiered this week, marking the first time the Giants are featured on the HBO show. The first installment of "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants" dove into the Barkley decision.
Assistant general manager Brandon Brown brought up what running backs have been complaining about for some time now, that some positions have more value than others.
"Certain positions have high dollar points because they're positions of impact," Brown said. "You want to make sure you get return on your investment."
Giants general manager Joe Schoen was seen discussing that the running back position is not as much of a need for the team and it is the other positions that they need to focus on. When looking at their list of needs in the offseason, he said, "that running back keeps going down," as they instead focus on getting a cornerback, a pass rusher and a top receiver.
The team made the decision not to franchise tag the 27-year-old and did not think a team would be willing to give a package of picks and a $12 million-per-year contract. Putting the franchise tag on him and trading him was a "Hail Mary" play in their eyes.
The Eagles surprised many, signing him to a three-year $37.75 million deal, that could be worth up to $46.75 million with incentives. While also paying wide receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, Schoen was surprised that the Eagles had the funds, and the want, to spend big money on a running back.
Once Barkley found his new home, the questions of how they would replace him rolled in. Schoen did not believe they needed to use a high draft pick to find this replacement, telling Giants president John Mara that they could find Barkley's replacement during free agency. The Giants ended up adding a wide receiver in the draft, taking Malik Nabers at No. 6.
"There's going to be saturation in the running back market, there could be some value guys there," Schoen said.
The group went through many options, including Austin Ekeler, Joe Mixon, Zack Moss and Tony Pollard. They ended up with former Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans running back Devin Singletary, who had career highs in rushing attempts (216) and yards (898) last year. They feel Singletary can be a dual threat on the offense as a receiver and a screen player in third-down scenarios.
Their emphasis on his ability to catch the ball, letting go of their top running back and drafting a wide receiver hints that the Giants will likely focus more on the pass game in 2024.
