Tag: Matt Breida

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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Is re-signing Matt Breida an ‘obvious move’ for Giants?

Is re-signing veteran running back Matt Breida an “obvious move” the New York Giants should make before training camp?

The New York Giants are entering the post-Saquon Barkley era by ditching their bell-cow strategy at running back in favor of a more committee approach.

Since Barkley defected to Philadelphia in free agency in March, the Giants have been gradually building up their running back room, creating a versatile and potentially electric group.

They signed veteran free agent Devin Singletary to pair with second-year back Eric Gray and then added Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the draft. They also signed former Columbia star Dante Miller and added UFL rushing leader Jacob Saylors this past week. They also still have Jashaun Corbin on the roster.

Are they done? It would seem so but there is always room for more. That aside, Dan Duggan of The Athletic believes there are only three locks for the final roster — Singletary, Gray, and Tracy.

Could Matt Breida be re-signed?

Miller is a great story who has generated buzz, but he has six collegiate carries since the 2021 season. The Giants should be able to get the 5-foot-9, 200-pounder safely to the practice squad barring a breakout preseason. The ticket to a roster spot for Miller would be as a returner, but the Giants have more experienced options for that role.

Five running backs aren’t enough to get through training camp, so a veteran addition is likely in the coming weeks. Re-signing Matt Breida seems like an obvious move to provide depth and experience to a young group.

This analysis was written before the Giants hopped on Saylors this week. Many agree that Miller is likely headed to the practice squad and there could be a reunion with Breida or another veteran if Saylors turns out to be fool’s gold.

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Giants injury report: Dexter Lawrence continues to miss practice

New York Giants NT Dexter Lawrence (hamstring) was a projected non-participant in practice on Friday and was joined by three others.

The New York Giants enjoyed an off day on Friday with their final practice scheduled for Saturday ahead of a Christmas Day game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

With most players away from team facilities, that meant little change in terms of injury status. However, the Giants still moved forward with a projected injury report.

Nose tackle Dexter Lawrence was a projected non-participant due to a hamstring issue that has plagued him for several weeks.

“He’s still working through his hamstring,” head coach Brian Daboll told reporters this week.

Even with an extra day off this week, Sexy Dexy seems unlikely to suit up on Monday afternoon against the Eagles.

The Giants’ full (projected) Friday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: NT Dexter Lawrence (hamstring), DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches (knee), OL Evan Neal (ankle), TE Lawrence Cager (groin)

Limited participant: DT A’Shawn Robinson (back), RB Matt Breida (hamstring), LB Carter Coughlin (neck), P Jamie Gillan (groin), S Xavier McKinney (illness)

Full participant: OL Justin Pugh (calf/neck), TE Darren Waller (hamstring), RB Gary Brightwell (hamstring), OL Matt Peart (shoulder)

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Giants injury report: Dexter Lawrence, Xavier McKinney not practicing

The New York Giants have released their official Thursday injury report.

The New York Giants were back on the practice field Thursday ahead of a scheduled day off and were down a starter.

Kicker Randy Bullock has been placed on season-ending injured reserve (IR) with a hamstring issue. He will be replaced by fellow kicker Cade York, who is currently on the practice squad, for the remainder of the season.

Meanwhile, all eyes were on the Giants’ trio of defensive tackles — Dexter Lawrence, A’Shawn Robinson, and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, all of whom are banged up.

Lawrence and Nunez-Roches continued to sit out while Robinson was limited.

The Giants’ full Thursday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: NT Dexter Lawrence (hamstring), S Xavier McKinney (illness) DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches (knee), OL Evan Neal (ankle), TE Lawrence Cager (groin)

Limited participant: DT A’Shawn Robinson (back), RB Matt Breida (hamstring), LB Carter Coughlin (neck), P Jamie Gillan (groin)

Full participant: OL Justin Pugh (calf/neck), TE Darren Waller (hamstring), RB Gary Brightwell (hamstring), OL Matt Peart (shoulder)

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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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What we learned from Giants’ 24-3 loss to Seahawks

The New York Giants fell to the Seattle Seahawks, 24-3, in Week 4 and here’s some of what we learned from that game.

The New York Giants fell to 1-3 on the season after completely disintegrating on Monday night at MetLife Stadium versus the Seattle Seahawks.

The score was 24-3 but that didn’t matter. You didn’t need a scoreboard to figure out that the Giants are a complete mess of a team in which no unit is functioning at an acceptable level.

Here are four things we learned on Monday night.

Giants report card: How we graded Big Blue in Week 3 loss

The New York Giants fell to the San Francisco 49ers, 30-12, in Week 3 and the Giants Wire team grades reflect that comeback performance.

The New York Giants were outmatched on Thursday Night Football by the San Francisco 49ers as they suffered their second loss of the season.

It feels like a broken record because the summary of every Giants game seems to be injuries and getting dominated in the trenches and this game was no different. The 49ers were just the better football team on Sunday and they came out with the 30-12 win.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what we saw during the game and how we graded the Giants in this loss.

Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 3 free-agent forecast

Here are the top waiver wire targets for fantasy football in Week 3.

Fantasy football continues to rage on following a high-scoring slate from the Week 2 games, making this upcoming group of waiver wire targets vital for managers to monitor.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in Yahoo leagues, using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11). Your questions and comments are always welcome!

We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.

Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.

PFF ranks Giants’ running backs among the best in football

Pro Football Focus may be down on the New York Giants’ offensive line and wide receivers, but they’re believers in the team’s running backs.

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Pro Football Focus is not sold on the New York Giants offensive line or their wide receivers headed into the 2023 season, but the same can not be said for their running backs.

While PFF ranked the Giants’ O-line and receiver corps near the very bottom of the league, they recently ranked Big Blue’s running backs among the best in football.

8. NEW YORK GIANTS

The Giants backfield isn’t quite as dependent on Saquon Barkley as the Raiders are on Jacobs, but he still accounted for 313 of the 406 attempts by running backs for the team in 2022. After injuries had slowed his career since 2020, Barkley was all the way back last year. He ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing yards and was 10th with an 84.9 PFF rushing grade. Backup Matt Breida was fine when called upon too, forcing 11 missed tackles from 61 carries.

Saquon Barkley is the superstar name but Matt Breida is more than capable if not a bit underrated. Gary Brightwell is also a talented back who contributes on special teams and then, of course, there’s rookie fifth-round pick Eric Gray.

The Giants have positioned themselves to not rely so heavily on Barkley, allowing him to avoid the over-usage that zapped his energy early last season. It will be more of a running back-by-committee approach in 2023 with Barkley leading the charge.

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4 Giants players who could lose their job to rookies in 2023

There are four veteran players on the New York Giants’ roster who could lose their jobs to rookies in 2023.

The New York Giants are a young team that is just getting younger. They do have some veterans they still rely on to get the job done but it’s only a matter of time before those vets are moved out in favor of some younger players.

Here are four veterans (or non-rookies) who could be challenged this season by rookies on the depth chart.