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John Harbaugh’s Giants overhaul is starting to make a lot of sense

GMEN HQ · Jul 20, 2026 14:30 · 3 min read

John Harbaugh’s Giants overhaul is starting to make a lot of sense

The New York Giants have a new physical identity under John Harbaugh, and the numbers show how this three-man backfield is built to bully defenses.

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh speaks during a press conference at rookie minicamp — New York Giants - head coach John Harbaugh | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's all about the passing game in today's football era, but New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh didn’t drive up I-95 to play a glorified game of backyard catch. Harbaugh-Ball is officially coming to East Rutherford, and it means focusing on running the football to wear down opposing defenses.

Harbaugh and Co. spent the entire offseason bulking up the roster -- literally and metaphorically speaking. The team has seemingly leaned into a three-man running back committee that fits the physical, run-you-through-the-ground philosophy.

But wanting to run the football and doing it successfully are two different things. Nutshell Sports took a look at last season's "Stuff rate" -- the percentage of times a back is stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage:

Tyrone Tracy Jr., Cam Skattebo, and Devin "Motor" Singletary all made the list, exceeding the 75-carry minimum threshold. In order for the G-Men to turn things around, especially in the ground game, they're going to need to hit the holes hard and get to the second level quickly.

Harbaugh-ball blueprint could fully unleash Giants' rushing attack

To help lead the way in their quest not to get stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey, Big Blue added thousands of pounds of beef up front to help get the backs out clean. 6-foot-3, 300-pound Patrick "Pancake Pat" Ricard is in at fullback, following Harbs from Baltimore.

And rookie offensive lineman Francis "Sisi" Mauigoa (6-foot-6, 330 pounds) also figures to play a big role in the initiative, likely starting at right guard. They also added guys like tight end Isaiah Likely and offensive linemen Daniel Faalele and J.C. Davis for some additional size, because the more, the merrier.

And no position stands to benefit more than the running backs.

Looking at last year's stuff-rate graph, it's clear that Tracy did his best job filling in for the injured Skattebo. The 26-year-old led the room with a workload of 176 carries while putting up a fundamentally sound 13.6% stuff rate. The then-second-year back finished the season with 740 rushing yards and two touchdowns, adding 288 yards and two scores through the air.

Because he's a converted wide receiver, he has the lateral quickness and high-IQ vision to slide past the first wave of defenders. The former Purdue product is the perfect change-of-pace rotational weapon to keep the chains moving forward on critical middle downs.

Then, you have Skatt, who logged a 16.7% stuff rate on 102 carries during his rookie campaign before a gruesome ankle injury cut his year short in Week 8. The 16.7% mark is the predictable tax you pay for an unhinged, ultra-aggressive, violent runner who's a welcome mat for contact.

The 24-year-old plays with an unrivaled level of chaotic energy -- it's what's made him an instant fan favorite in North Jersey. With Pancake Pat and Sisi as his enforcement crew, Skatt couldn't dream of a better situation to be the ultimate short-yardage and red-zone wrecking ball.

Rounding out the group is Singletary, who is probably just happy to be given another chance to contribute after looking like a prime salary-cap casualty earlier this offseason.

Instead of packing his bags, he agreed to a pay cut, slashing his salary down to $1.3 million to lock down a roster spot. The graph shows Singletary maintaining a respectable 14.3% stuff rate over 119 carries. But just because he didn't get stopped at or behind the line doesn't mean he was going very far.

Motor finished the season with 437 rushing yards, on a career-worst 3.7 yards per carry. He did find the end zone five times, suggesting he's best fit for short-yardage situations only.

While the days of him being a featured back are over, his veteran presence and break-glass-in-case-of-emergency consistency make him a decent insurance policy for a 17-game season.

While it's important to call out the guys taking advantage of not getting stopped, a quick shoutout to the offensive line that's starting to resemble something not terrible. For years, the O-line situation in New York has been frustrating, but now it looks like the team has the line and the backs to really open up the ground game and put opposing defenses in a bind.