Shortly after losing superstar running back Saquon Barkley to the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants pivoted and signed veteran Devin Singletary as his replacement.
“Saquon is great. Everyone knows that,” Singletary said during his introductory press conference. “I’m just happy to be a Giant. I’m looking forward to a great opportunity here, and I’m ready to get to work. That’s how I’m looking at it.”
Although Singletary didn’t represent a one-to-one replacement for Barkley, some around the league felt he could be as productive for the Giants.
“Saquon is a good back, but you are talking about a running back. Singletary is going to produce as much as Saquon did for them at a fraction of the cost,” an anonymous NFL executive told The Athletic.
Not everyone sees it that way, however.
In a recent ranking of the NFL’s 32 projected starting running backs, Thomas Valentine of Pro Football Focus lists Singletary near the very bottom.
30. DEVIN SINGLETARY, NEW YORK GIANTS
Singletary was intended to be the backup for Dameon Pierce, but a fine run of performances, as well as disappointing ones from Pierce, saw the former Bills running back jump up the depth chart and not look back. Singletary carried the ball a career-high 216 times for 898 yards and four touchdowns while earning a 70.8 grade.
His 23 explosive runs tied for 13th in the NFL, and he was top 20 in yards after contact, too. ultimately will be the starting running back for the Giants in 2024.
Only Gus Edwards (Los Angeles Chargers) and Zamir White (Las Vegas Raiders) were ranked lower than Singletary.
For comparison purposes, Barkley was ranked sixth overall.
