Tag: Eric Gray

Giants vs. Lions Player of the Game: Eric Gray

The New York Giants defeated the Detroit Lions, 14-3, on Thursday night and RB Eric Gray is the Giants Wire Player of the Game.

The New York Giants opened their 2024 preseason slate by knocking off the Super Bowl-hopeful Detroit Lions, 14-3, on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium.

For the Giants, it was a well-rounded performance highlighted by strong offensive line play, stout defense, and a dazzling display courtesy of second-year running back Eric Gray.

With the depth behind presumed starter Devin Singletary still undetermined, Gray made the most of his opportunities and finished the game with a team-leading 98 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.

The first of those scores came midway through the second quarterback when Gray took the handoff on a draw, went decisively North-South, and juked a Lions defender out of his shoes en route to the endzone.

Gray also showcased his prowess through the air, beating a linebacker one-on-one before hauling in an impressive reception over his shoulder.

Later in the first half, Gray added a second score when he plunged into the endzone from one yard out thanks, in part, to excellent clear-out blocking from the offensive line, tight ends, and wide receivers.

“I just wanted to put my best foot forward,” Gray told reporters after the game. “Like I said, I just want to be Eric Gray; just be me. Last year, I kind of made football more than it is. It’s just football at the end of the day. Just being me.”

For his performance, Gray earns the first Giants Wire Player of the Game this season.

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Should fantasy owners punt on New York Giants running backs?

What should fantasy managers make of this revamped backfield?

Last year’s New York Giants were a sad group offensively. Quarterback Daniel Jones (knee) played just six games before tearing his ACL — further neutering an already shaky passing game — leaving running back Saquon Barkley as the only needle mover. Defenses knew that, too, keying on Barkley, who did his best to make chicken salad, turning 288 touches into 1,242 yards and 10 of the team’s 25 offensive TDs.

Unfortunately for the G-Men, Barkley signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, leaving general manager Joe Schoen to try and piece things together with an running backs room of veteran Devin Singletary and a pair of fifth-round picks in Eric Gray (2023) and Tyrone Tracy Jr. (2024). Further eroding the outlook for this group is Schoen’s desire to get a read on Jones. Can he stay healthy? Can he excel with what they hope is a true No. 1 wide receiver in sixth overall pick Malik Nabers? Is he the guy?

Managing Jones was the order of the day since head coach Brain Daboll arrived, but it sounds like they’ll be looking at 2024 as an audition to see if Jones is their quarterback of the future. With that in mind, let’s look at New York’s options at running back.

PFF ranks Giants’ running backs among league’s worst

Pro Football Focus has ranked the New York Giants’ running backs among the worst in football entering the 2024 season.

The New York Giants went through their biggest change of the offseason at the running back position. It’s no knock against Xavier McKinney or Darren Waller, but New York is going to feel Saquon Barkley’s loss more than any other player.

The Giants also have not re-signed Matt Breida, although a reunion between Breida and the Giants isn’t off the table.

Those changes at the position this offseason landed the Giants’ running back units among the league’s worst, according to Pro Football Focus.

28. NEW YORK GIANTS

Devin Singletary looks to be the main back in New York after Saquon Barkley‘s offseason exit. He reunites with former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll after generating the fifth-best PFF wins above average figure last season (0.17).

Eric Gray is in line for RB2 duties, and rookie Tyrone Tracy is the ultimate wild card who could really boost this group, especially in the passing game.

Recently, Singletary himself and the Giants’ running back unit were near the bottom of the league in similar rankings, respectively, so these low ranks shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

The Giants are going to need to change the way they operate their offense considering they ran it through Barkley. They will likely go with more of a running back by committee in 2024 but don’t underestimate Singletary, who will be wearing No. 26 and believes he’s a playmaker just like Barkley.

The Giants will hope that Singletary provides the team with a more durable option at the position and ideally, the unit performs above expectations behind what should be an improved offensive line.

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Giants don’t fare well in 2023 NFL draft re-grade

In a 2023 NFL draft re-grade courtesy of The Athletic, the New York Giants did not fare particularly well but hope remains.

The jury is still out on the 2023 NFL draft class but Diante Lee of The Athletic recently decided to grade the class after just one season.

The New York Giants had seven picks in the draft leading off with Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks at No. 24 overall. He started 15 games and was solid most of the season. He is now considered a No. 1 outside corner, so they appear to have made a good choice in him.

Banks was not likely the Giants’ first choice on their board, however. They were said to be in the market for a wide receiver and it just so happens that four studs were chosen right before they were on the clock in Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Quentin Johnson, May Flowers, and Jordan Addison.

The rest of the draft is still very much a mystery as injuries and underuse left much to be desired.

New York Giants: C-minus

Deonte Banks (No. 24) was a fun watch coming out of college and as a rookie showed the speed, physicality and competitive edge that made him a late riser in the draft process. Jalin Hyatt (No. 73) flashed some downfield ball-tracking skills, but he didn’t separate enough last season to be considered a long-term piece of this offense.

This year, the Giants hope to see some growth in center John Michael Schmitz, cornerback Tre Hawkins III, safety Gervarrius Owens, and defensive lineman Jordon Riley.

Eric Gray is expected to help fill the void left by Saquon Barkley and Hyatt still has to earn the trust of the coaches and quarterbacks.

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DeMarco Murray to stay at Oklahoma and sign an extension per report

DeMarco Murray staying in Norman despite overtures from Ohio State.

The Oklahoma Sooners have dodged what could have been a big blow to their coaching staff. This comes after reports started circling earlier this week that running backs coach DeMarco Murray was being pursued by a number of college and NFL teams, including the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes are widely thought of as having the best running back room in the country this upcoming season with TreVeyon Henderson and Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins. But the Sooners got some good news on Wednesday as On3’s Pete Nakos reported Murray would be staying at Oklahoma.

Murray and the Sooners agreed on a three-year contract extension.

Murray has family ties to Ohio, which made that job a real possibility. He’s currently the lowest-paid assistant on staff, making $575,000 annually. He’s expected to receive a pay bump with this new contract but those details have not been announced.

Murray is also one of the most tenured assistants on staff. He arrived back in Norman in 2020 and has been huge on the recruiting trail.

He most recently helped Oklahoma sign [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] as part of the 2024 recruiting class. The Longview, Texas, native was ranked as the No. 1 overall running back in the [autotag]2024 recruiting cycle[/autotag].

He’s also helped guys like [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Kennedy Brooks[/autotag], and Rhamondre Stevenson have career years under his tutelage. His room this year is loaded with talent, but it is also very young. If they can avoid the injury bug, Oklahoma’s running backs will play a pivotal role in the Sooners success in 2024.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

CBS Sports ranks Giants’ 2023 rookie class in bottom half of NFL

The New York Giants’ 2023 NFL draft class was ranked in the bottom half of the league by CBS Sports, but they were credited with two hits.

The New York Giants made seven picks in the 2023 NFL draft and most felt confident that general manager Joe Schoen had made the right calls.

In need of talent at multiple positions, the Giants fared well with their limited stock, adding cornerback Deonte Banks, center John Michael Schmitz, and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt with their first three selections.

They rounded things out with running back Eric Gray, cornerback Tre Hawkins III, defensive lineman Jordon Riley, and safety Gervarrius Owens.

All seven of those players saw time on the field this past season but the results weren’t quite what the Giants had hoped. Injuries derailed the development of several rookies while others were stunted due to misuse (see: Gray as a punt returner).

Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports recently ranked all 32 draft classes from 2023 and the Giants landed in the bottom half of the league. However, he did credit them with two hits: Banks and Hyatt.

Hyatt didn’t exactly rekindle all of the magic he had at Tennessee winning down the field on a regular basis. But averaging over 16 yards per snag as a rookie demonstrated there’s a bright future for him if the development as a route runner continues. Sixth-round pick Tre Hawkins was respectable as a rotational cornerback. Second-round pick John Michael Schmitz really struggled with power before his injury. Banks had some hiccups in coverage but mostly dealt with No. 1 receivers in man coverage and snagged two picks while knocking away 11 passes.

Banks has the makings of a solid, long-term CB1 and although he struggled at times, Schmitz still has plenty of upside. Hyatt also performed better than his stats would indicate. He suffered due to poor offensive line and quarterback play.

The Giants remain hopeful that Hawkins can develop into a starter and that Riley eventually becomes a dominant interior defender.

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5 players who could have bigger roles for Giants in 2024

These five players could have bigger and more noteworthy roles for the New York Giants during the 2024 regular season.

The New York Giants finished a disappointing 6-11 in 2023, failing to follow up their encouraging 2022 when they went 9-8, won a Wild Card playoff game, and advanced to the NFC Divisional round.

They hope to turn things around in 2024. If they are to do so, they’ll need to get contributions from some of the younger players on their roster who have not yet established themselves.

Here are five players who should have bigger roles in 2024 for the Giants.

Grading every rookie from Giants’ 2023 draft class

How did the New York Giants’ draft class fare in 2023? Giants Wire hands out grades for all seven rookies.

Now that the 2023 NFL regular season is in the books, it’s time to review how the New York Giants draft class performed.

The Giants had seven selections in last spring’s NFL draft, four on defense and three on offense.

Here’s how they fared in their debut seasons.

What we learned from Giants’ 27-10 win over Eagles

The New York Giants defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, in Week 18 and here’s some of what we learned from that game.

The New York Giants defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon to close out the 2023 regular season.

It was a positive finish to an otherwise dismal season that saw the Giants finish 6-11 and out of the postseason one year after they made their first trip to the playoffs in six years.

Here are three things we learned from Sunday’s Week 18 game.

Giants-Saints Week 15: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 15 game against the New Orleans Saints. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants fell back to earth on Sunday afternoon in Louisiana as rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito lost his magic.

DeVito was sacked seven times in a 24-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints and was briefly forced to exit the game and enter concussion protocol. Although he did return, he ended the game on a very gimpy ankle, becoming the third Giants quarterback to be injured behind this offensive line this season.

With the loss, the Giants fall to 5-9 and are essentially out of the NFC Playoff hunt barring the miracle of all miracles.

Here are the snap counts that contributed to the Giants’ most recent defeat.

Offensive snaps: 62
Defensive snaps: 62
Special teams snaps: 23

Running back Saquon Barkley played just 50 percent of the offensive snaps and was often on the sideline in critical moments. That begs the question: Why?

Barkley’s unusual usage paved the way for his backups, Matt Breida and rookie Eric Gray, to see more time. And for Gray, it was the most action he’s seen since Week 5.

Meanwhile, safety Xavier McKinney and linebacker Bobby Okereke took 100 percent of the defensive snaps and have not missed a single play all season. They are two of four NFL defenders to take every single snap in 2023.

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