The Running Back Room Is Down to What It Always Was

Already wrote the Harris piece Tuesday. This is just a note on what's left.

The depth chart at running back now reads Tyrone Tracy Jr., Cam Skattebo, and Phil Mafah. That's the committee the Giants were running before August, before the offseason blueprint promised something heavier and more physical. Harris was supposed to be the anchor of that identity — a four-time 1,000-yard rusher brought in to give the room a different gear. He started against the Saints, got four carries, voiced his frustration publicly, and was released two days later. The experiment ran about as long as a preseason drive.

What's notable is that Skattebo has been the most productive back on the roster all season — 313 rushing yards through six games — and he was the one sitting behind Harris on Sunday. The committee approach that Harris objected to is now just the approach, with Tracy and Skattebo splitting work the way they were before the signing ever happened. The Giants are 4-2-1 and leading the NFC East, so the offense hasn't collapsed around this. But the power-running identity Harbaugh's staff drew up in August looks considerably thinner than advertised.