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4 Running Backs the Giants Can Sign to Pair With Devin Singletary

By Stephen Lebitsch

Dec 24, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills (10) and running back
Dec 24, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills (10) and running back / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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2. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs

Jan 28, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (25)
Jan 28, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (25) / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

A top rusher in the AFC over his first two seasons in Kansas City, Clyde Edwards-Helaire has seen his role diminish over the last two as the team has unearthed its new lead hog in Isiah Pacheco. He’s now due to the free agent market at 24 years old, and with a market value that feels like it could swing in the Giants favor. 

In his first two stints after getting drafted 32nd overall in 2020, Edwards-Helaire appeared in 23 games and rushed for at least 517 yards and four touchdowns. He also averaged between 6.8 and 8.3 yards per reception for the Chiefs offense and added three scores to be one of the most active rushers inside the red zone. 

The next two saw Edwards-Helaire appear in 25 games but he was pushed down the depth chart thanks to Pacheco and saw his numbers take a dip. In 2023, he carried the pigskin 70 times for 223, an average of 3.2 yards and one touchdown and caught 17 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown, both record-low numbers for the fourth year player. 

While he hasn’t earned it lately, Edwards-Helaire has shown he can handle a heavy workload in the trenches. His first two seasons amassed at least 119 carries respectively, a critical element for an NFL back on a team that would demand a lot from their running backs. 

The gap game has been his speciality in the high-octane Kansas City system, and he is excellent at protecting the football with a PFF grade of 86.0 or better in three of four seasons. Edwards-Helaire could be another example of the ground and pound running back that the Giants have missed since the days of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, but he is going to need an improved offensive line to have any sort of consistent impact. 

The 24-year-old is coming off his rookie contract after Kansas City denied picking up his fifth-year option last summer. That means the market value on him is up for determination and the Giants could take advantage of that to set terms that work for their roster rebuild. 

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