Najee Harris just made his New York Giants presence known.
When the New York Giants signed running back Najee Harris earlier this month, there was a bit of consternation.
Why would the Giants sign Harris when they already had a trio of halfbacks in Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary?
What made New York's decision to add Harris even more questionable was the fact that he was coming off of a torn Achilles.
But the Giants handed Harris a non-guaranteed contract, so realistically speaking, it was a low-risk, high-reward move by Big Blue.
And to be quite honest, it looks like it might pay off.
After playing a significant role in New York's dominant joint practice session with the Miami Dolphins last week, Harris made his preseason debut against the Jets on Friday night, and the Giants made it very clear that they plan on using him.
Harris carried the ball 11 times for 39 yards, and while the efficiency (3.5 yards per carry) wasn't there, it was obvious that New York was preparing him for a larger role within the offense heading into the regular season.
It's also important to keep in mind that Harris has never been an efficiency runner. He posted four straight 1,000-yard campaigns with the Pittsburgh Steelers between 2021 and 2024 to begin his NFL career, but he logged just 3.9 yards per attempt.
Harris is primarily a north-south runner who moves the chains, and the Giants won't be employing him as a featured back. He will likely be deployed in short-yardage and goal-line situations, and he also has ability as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.
Plus, with Tracy having a rough preseason (although he did rebound with a nice outing on Friday before leaving after taking a hard hit), it's entirely possible that Harris — who is a far superior blocker to Tracy — could end up stealing No. 2 reps ... or potentially even supplant Tracy entirely.
Would I necessarily be in favor of that? No, because I really like the versatility and explosiveness that Tracy brings to the table. But John Harbaugh has a history of liking rugged, physical running backs, and Harris definitely fits that mold.
For someone who hadn't played meaningful football in almost a year and was recovering from a devastating injury, Harris looked awfully good Friday evening, and his performance was unquestionably a loud message to Giants fans who were wondering exactly how he would fit in with the offense.
