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

3. Ezekiel Elliot, New England Patriots

This player is one that needs no introduction with the way he has bullied the Giants defense for more of his professional career. Former Cowboys and Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliot is a free agent with a solid resume to his name and one that Big Blue could bring into their neck of the NFC East woods in 2024. 

From 2016 to 2021, Elliot was a rushing machine for the Dallas Cowboys and one of the most dominant ball carriers in the entire NFL. He benefited a ton from one of the best offensive fronts in the sport, but it’s his mix of physicality and aggressiveness that spurred those backfields to playoff contention every year. 

In that span, the Ohio State product carried the football at least 300 times in three separate  campaigns and crossed the 1,000-yard mark four times, including three of his four seasons. His resume boasts an impressive statline of 2,065 carries for 8,904 yards, an average of 4.3 yards and 71 touchdowns and 356 catches for 2,649 yards and 14 scores through the air. 

When he was in the NFC East division, Elliot seemed to have the Giants number in his back pants pocket. In 13 career games against New York, he has 231 carries for 1,038 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He has posted 100 or more yards four times and had a streak of six games with at least one touchdown when facing his rival as well, meaning the Giants know exactly what damage he can still do.

The main concerns with signing Elliot are his age and his inclination for injuries after his candle has been nearly burnt out in his first eight seasons. He is nearing the same end of prime range as Saquon Barkley at 28 years old but still managed to gain almost 1,000 total yards for a Patriots offense that struggled to be productive in 2023. 

Nonetheless, Elliot is still a strong candidate to assume a lead rushing workload and can help the Giants offense cause damage in different ways. He averages 2.89 yards after contact in the trenches and has rallied 634 or more contact yards which is one for the best feats for his position in eight years. Once he breaks free he becomes a freight train that nobody wants to interfere with, a factor for his 219 runs of 10+ yards, 87 designed runs of 15+ yards and a 21.8% breakaway play percentage.

Elliot doesn’t let the football escape his fingertips as a pass catcher, holding four drops or less in six seasons and under three in the last three years. If the ball isn’t going to him, he can step into the gaps and be an additional blocker for the quarterback in the face of interior or blindside pressure packages. 

With his age and declining production, the Patriots got Elliot for a one-year rental, and it fared out decently for an offense that needed someone to step up on a weekly basis to remain competitive. The Giants could take that same flier on their former foe and give Eric Gray time to learn behind an experienced mentor.