Tracy not worried about his spot in RB pecking order
Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. during training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Tuesday in East Rutherford, N.J. Credit: Ed Murray
Tyrone Tracy Jr. didn’t sound worried about his standing in the Giants’ running back room, not even after his second straight preseason game with a miscue.
Tracy fumbled on a drive in Saturday’s preseason win. It overshadowed two previous plays where he ran for 11 and 12 yards and came after a missed block two weeks ago that led to Jaxson Dart being sacked.
Tracy took accountability for both plays Tuesday but tried to keep them in perspective.
“A lot of people really just look at the last two weeks and just see two bad plays, which is the big news,” said Tracy. “That’s everything that’s going on right now. But when you actually look at the game. I feel like I had a good game.”
The consequences are hard to avoid. Tracy went from being considered a co-lead running back with Cam Skattebo to fighting harder to stay in the pecking order. Najee Harris. who joined the Giants last week, took more first-team reps Tuesday as he works his way back into football shape.
Tracy, meanwhile, has taken on special-teams reps in practice. It’s not a demotion, since he’s still in the running back rotation, but it’s a sign his job is more at risk despite having over 1,000 scrimmage yards in his first two seasons.
Tracy, however, wasn't concerned. He embraced Harris’ arrival instead of seeing it as a statement about his performance.
“I don’t feel like my job was threatened at all,” he said. “I feel like you need the best players in your room. It doesn’t matter who they are, what names they got. You want the best complete team. You want to win.”
John Harbaugh said Sunday that one or two bad plays doesn’t nullify a whole career. He praised Tracy for improving his pass protection in the second game along with his good plays.
“You don't hold it against him,” Harbaugh said. “At the same time, you understand how valuable and important those things are to your football team, and he knows as well. So, it's just a balancing act that way.”
That said, Tracy’s place in the running back rotation is less stable than a month ago. It adds more intrigue not just to Friday’s preseason game with the Jets but also the season opener on Sept. 13.
But Tracy wasn’t deterred. He kept his confidence while acknowledging he has to play better given the extra competition Harris has added.
“I gotta take care what I need to take care of and the rest will just level itself out,” Tracy said. “I think when the smoke clears up and everything is done, I think I’ll be where I want to be.”
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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