The Giants found their replacement for Saquon Barkley, lost for the season after injuring his knee against the Bears.
That player: Former Falcons standout Devonta Freeman, who is expected to sign with the Giants once he passes through COVID-19 protocols, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Freeman, a two-time Pro Bowler, is a much-needed addition after the Giants lost their most talented offensive player.
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But will he actually provide a major boost to a rushing attack that was struggling even when Barkley was healthy?
Let’s break down what adding Freeman means for the Giants.
What they have
The Giants only have three options on the roster before signing Freeman, and one is still on the practice squad. That includes Dion Lewis, Wayne Gallman and Rod Smith, that player on the practice squad who could be called up.
None of those three inspire much confidence, though Lewis at least has a history of success in the NFL. In 2017-18, with both the Patriots and Titans, Lewis combined for 2,027 yards from scrimmage, scored 11 touchdowns and had 91 receptions.
In 2019, he only had 373 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown.
Subbing in for Barkley on Sunday, Lewis had 20 rushing yards on 10 carries and 36 receiving yards. Clearly, Lewis is more of a change-of-pace option than someone who should be starting at this stage of his career.
“He’s the ultimate pro," running backs coach Burton Burns said on Tuesday. “He’s always well prepared and he plays a different kind of game. He’s got body quickness and he knows how maneuver in tight spaces. He utilizes his body structure and he utilizes his awareness of the game to make things work for him. I think he did a great job filling in for Saquon on Sunday."
Gallman has been a disappointment in his career, though he had a nice training camp. With Freeman in the fold, it’s unlikely he plays a major role outside of short-yardage situations. Smith has 101 career carries, and a 3.6 yards per carry average.
Freeman is an obvious upgrade over all of the incumbent options.
What they’re getting
There are two versions of Freeman — pre-2018 and post-2018.
Before 2018, Freeman experienced a three-year stretch as one of the NFL’s most versatile and productive running backs. He was a Pro Bowler in both 2015 and 2016, and accumulated more than 1,000 rushing yards with 11 touchdowns in each year. He also had a combined 127 catches for 1,040 yards and five touchdowns. In 2017, he had 1,182 all-purpose yards and eight touchdowns. He was one of only five running backs to accumulate more than 4,000 total yards in that three-year stretch.
Then, Freeman suffered knee and groin injuries that cost him all but two games in 2018.
Last year, he was clearly not the same Freeman.
Pro Football Focus had him ranked 55th of 61 running backs (min. 60 snaps) in 2019, 48th in elusive rating and 50th in breakaway percentage, which is a percentage of runs going for 15 or more yards. He averaged 3.6 yards per carry and 2.4 yards after contact per carry.
In 2017, he ranked 15th overall, 15th in elusive rating and 22nd in breakaway targets. He averaged 4.2 yards per carry, and 2.6 yards after contact per carry.
Now, Freeman is nearing 30 (he’s 28) and coming off his least productive season as a starting running back. Even worse — there is no way of really knowing what kind of shape Freeman is in, considering the Falcons cut him in March and he hasn’t gotten any on-field work with a team since the end of last season. He’ll also be learning a new playbook.
One area Freeman can help right away: Pass-catching. Even as his athleticism has dwindled and his skills have started to fade, Freeman is still an asset in the passing game. He had 59 catches for 410 yards and four touchdowns last season. Though, he’s not quite as versatile in the passing game as Barkley or even Lewis, only splitting out at wide receiver on 32 snaps in 2019, which limits his value in the passing game slightly.
The new running back rotation
Don’t expect Freeman to take on all of Barkley’s snaps, at least not right away. More likely: The Giants employ a near-50/50 split with Freeman and Lewis handling the majority of the snaps, plus Gallman occasionally chipping in for short-yardage situations, if that.
Ultimately, Freeman isn’t a Pro Bowl-caliber player at this stage of his career, and the Giants and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett will have to find creative ways to replace Barkley’s production and role in the offense.
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Zack Rosenblatt may be reached at zrosenblatt@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
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