Devin Singletary knows how this works.
That was true when he played for the Texans, when he played for the Bills, when he played for Florida Atlantic and all the way back to his high school days.
The Giants' new starting running back, filling in for the role once held by Saquon Barkley, said he doesn't feel any pressure to produce to continue getting the majority of the carries, but simply understands the need to maximize them because of how the depth level works.
“When I get the ball, obviously I want to play well,” Singletary told The Post after the Giants' practice on Friday. “Like I say, I want to stay in the green. I want to keep putting up yards. That's what you want to do as a running back. That's what you have to do.”
Singletary later added that there is always at least one running back in the backfield.
The Giants have two backs in Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Eric Gray, whom coach Brian Daboll described as “three capable backs” who can help ignite the running game when needed. With Singletary managing just 37 yards on 10 carries, Daboll was asked Friday whether Tracy, a rookie who performed well in training camp, could help ignite the depth of the Giants' offensive line, which was once anchored by Barkley.
“I feel comfortable with all three of them,” Daboll said when asked if Tracy could contribute offensively. “So, again, there's one ball and everybody wants it, but everybody has a role to play.”
Singletary felt the Giants' running game was on the verge of breaking through.
Here we just missed the lane.
I missed a block.
And once everything is repaired, the 27-year-old believes that part of the offense will help unlock quarterback Daniel Jones and the rest of the unit, too, so they're no longer so one-dimensional.
As soon as Barkley joined the Eagles in free agency, one of the Giants' most pressing issues became how to replace him.
Barkley had four seasons of 950 or more yards.
He emerged as a mainstay in the Giants' offense and continued to remain so, becoming a featured player on opposing teams' scouting reports.
They leaned on Singletary, but the Giants finished with the sixth-fewest rushing yards in the NFL in Week 1. Last season, the Giants were held to fewer than 74 rushing yards — a figure that combined contributions from Wan'Dale Robinson (14 yards), Jones (15), Gray (6) and Tracy (2) with Singletary at the end — just three times.
Coach Singletary felt the Giants had become monotonous and was frustrated after the game against the Vikings.
Those game-ups will happen from time to time, he said, and there will be an adjustment period as the running backs learn how the offensive line blocks for them and the offensive line learns how their lanes are used.
Singletary said that could take as long as the first month of the season. Replacing Barkley will always be a challenge, too.
However, the opening act was less than promising.
