Wayne Gallman

New York Giants: Should Rod Smith Or Wayne Gallman Be The Runner Behind Barkley?

by
New York Giants, Wayne Gallman, Rod Smith

The New York Giants have arguably the best running back in the league with Saquon Barkley. Saquon won AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018 behind a league-leading 2,028 total yards from scrimmage.

Saquon Barkley is a generational talent, but the Giants have a solid all-around backfield. Wayne Gallman has provided quality play as the number two back over the last two seasons. Despite this, the Giants added another running back into the mix in 2019.

The Giants signed former Dallas Cowboys running back Rod Smith earlier this offseason. Rod Smith was signed to be a solid depth piece behind Saquon Barkley, along with Wayne Gallman. Both players have been backup running backs their entire career and will have to compete to solidify themselves as the number two running back on Big Blue’s roster in 2019.

What Wayne Gallman Brings To The Table:

Wayne Gallman was drafted by the Giants in the 4th round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He was a solid running back in college at Clemson and looked to be a steal for New York in the middle of the draft.

Gallman has not found himself receiving extended playing time with the Giants thus far. Gallman was the 2nd running back on the roster in his rookie season. The Giants opted for veteran Orleans Darkwa as their starting running back in 2017. He went on to rush for 751 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Despite his limited playing time, Gallman flashed his potential in 2017. He ran the ball 111 times, gaining 476 yards on the ground with 4.3 yards per carry. Gallman also provided quality snaps as a receiver in 2017. He caught 34 passes on 48 targets for 193 yards, 5.7 yards per reception, and 1 touchdown.

Saquon Barkley can do it all, but the Giants need to be careful not to run him to the ground this early in his career. Gallman did not receive much playing time in 2018 due to Barkley’s incredible production.

In 2018, Wayne Gallman was limited to only 51 carries. He never found a major groove in 2018 as he did in 2017, averaging only 3.5 yards per carry. Gallman did, however, score his first rushing touchdown of his carer in 2018.

Wayne still added quality snaps as a receiver out of the backfield, though he lost reps there, too. His yards per reception improved to 6.4 yards, but he only caught 14 passes on 22 targets and did not score a receiving touchdown.

Wayne Gallman has been a solid backup running back for the Giants over the last two seasons. However, New York has added another running back to the mix.

Wayne Gallman has brought a nice balance of running and receiving abilities to the Giants’ backup running back position over the past two seasons. However, he will have to beat out Rod Smith for the second string position.

What Rod Smith Brings To The Table:

Rod Smith has been in the NFL for 4 years. He has only started in 2 games but has played as a second string running back in 31 games over the last two seasons.

The Dallas Cowboys had Rod Smith back up their exuberant, young running back, Ezekiel Elliot. Elliot has been one of the best running backs in the league since being drafted in 2016. “Zeke” was a First-Team All-Pro in his 2016 rookie campaign and lead the NFL in rushing yards in 2018.

Rod Smith had the opportunity to backup Elliot for the last two seasons. He is certainly used to playing behind an extra-talented running back, so backing up Saquon Barkley should be no problem for Rod Smith.

Smith struggled in 2018,  averaging just 2.9 yards-per-carry. However, he had a solid 2017 season averaging 4.2 yards-per-carry on 55 rushing attempts, totaling 232 yards and 4 touchdowns. Similar to Gallman, Smith has also demonstrated the ability to be a receiver out of the backfield.

In 2017, Rod Smith caught 19 passes on 23 targets. He racked up 202 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. This touchdown was an impressive 81-yarder scored against no other than the New York Giants.

Rod Smith was not as effective in 2018, which might be why the Cowboys decided to move on from him. He was not given many opportunities in 2018 with a decrease in carries and receptions. However, in a better offensive system with Pat Shurmur and the Giants, Rod Smith could see some quality playing time and impress as he did in 2017.

Barkley will continue to be an all-world talent for the New York Giants in 2019 and beyond, but it is imperative for the Giants to get the backup running backs in the mix in order to keep Barkley from wearing down.

New York Giants: Giants Could Create A Monstrous Backfield In The 2019 NFL Draft

by
Could the New York Giants take a flier on Miles Sanders?

If there is one position the New York Giants are set at, it is at running back. After lacking a true workhorse for almost a decade, the Giants changed that last year. The Giants drafted the running back out of Penn State Saquon Barkley with the 2nd overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Saquon Barkley was sensational in his rookie season. Barkley ran for 1,307 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He was also efficient in the passing game totaling 721 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. This incredible season earned Saquon the honors of Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The Giants struck gold by selecting Saquon Barkley. They also have a decent running back playing behind Saquon, Wayne Gallman. It is common for NFL teams nowadays to have multiple versatile running backs on the roster to add depth and constant danger to defenses. If the Giants want to create a three-headed monster in their backfield, they might be able to do so in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Giants could look to reunite Saquon Barkley with a former teammate.

What Miles Sanders Could Bring To The Giants

Miles Sanders is a shifty running back in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Saquon’s alma mater, Penn State. After Saquon moved on to the NFL in 2018, Sanders took over as Penn State’s full time running back. In 2018, Miles Sanders was incredible for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

In 2018, Miles Sanders ran for an impeccable 1,274 yards and 9 touchdowns. Miles averaged 5.8 yards per carry. He was a pure runner as he did not contribute much in the passing game with only 139 receiving yards. However, this could be exactly what the Giants need.

Saquon Barkley is a do-it-all running back. He can play every single down and do whatever he is asked at a better level than anyone else. But the last thing the Giants want is for Saquon Barkley to get worn down. It would be beneficiary for the Giants to add another running back to take some of the workloads from Barkley.

Miles Sanders would be perfect for this. Look at the New Orleans Saints in 2018: Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. Kamara is a do-it-all running back who is an excellent receiver out of the backfield. Ingram is a strong, downhill runner. This combination was a perfect balance in New Orleans’ backfield.

If the Giants were to draft Miles Sanders, he could go in when Saquon is fatigued and be a solid rusher. Saquon would of course still be used on third downs and all receiving situations, but it would no longer be necessary for him to play every snap in every situation. If the Giants can land Miles Sanders in the middle rounds of the draft, he could be exactly what they need to elevate the offense and maximize Saquon Barkley’s talented career.