Devontae Booker is back on the open market. Looking to create cap space, the Giants are releasing the veteran running back.
A year ago at this time, Booker signed a two-year deal worth $5.5 million – good money for a second-string running back. With Saquon Barkley coming off a torn ACL, the thinking was that Booker could be a viable starter, if necessary, while also playing on some passing downs. But with the team looking to improve its financial situation, they’re pulling the plug after less than a year, creating $2.1 million in cap space.
Booker, it can be argued, did what the Giants hired him to do. Both he and Barkley ran for 593 yards, and Booker got there with 17 fewer carries, averaging almost a half yard more per attempt. And Booker was far more effective as a receiver, catching 40 of the 45 passes thrown his way.
Booker is 29, but as a proven commodity in passing situations (he also filled that role at times with the Broncos and Raiders) I would think some team will sign him to a modest deal, letting him compete for a backup job.
Below see the results of New York’s 17 games – the starting running backs for each of those games. Booker started only four games, but he had half of their six best games (using PPR scoring). He averaged 96 run-rec yards in his four starts, while Barkley averaged only 66 yards in the 13 games he started.
| NEW YORK'S STARTING RUNNING BACKS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Opp | Result | Rushing | Receiving | PPR |
| Barkley | at N.O. | W 27-21 | 13-52-1 | 5-74-1 | 29.6 |
| Barkley | Atl. | L 14-17 | 16-51-1 | 6-43-0 | 21.4 |
| Barkley | at LAC | L 21-37 | 16-64-0 | 3-31-1 | 18.5 |
| Booker | at K.C. | L 17-20 | 15-60-0 | 5-65-0 | 17.5 |
| Booker | L.V. | W 23-16 | 21-99-0 | 3-23-0 | 15.2 |
| Booker | Car. | W 25-3 | 14-51-1 | 2-15-0 | 14.6 |
| Barkley | at Mia. | L 9-20 | 11-55-0 | 6-19-0 | 13.4 |
| Barkley | at T.B. | L 10-30 | 6-25-0 | 6-31-0 | 11.6 |
| Barkley | Dall. | L 6-21 | 15-50-0 | 4-24-0 | 11.4 |
| Booker | LAR | L 11-38 | 12-41-0 | 4-28-0 | 10.9 |
| Barkley | at Chi. | L 3-29 | 21-102-0 | 0-0-0 | 10.2 |
| Barkley | Phil. | W 13-7 | 13-40-0 | 4-13-0 | 9.3 |
| Barkley | at Was. | L 29-30 | 13-57-0 | 2-12-0 | 8.9 |
| Barkley | Was. | L 7-22 | 11-30-0 | 3-19-0 | 7.9 |
| Barkley | at Phil. | L 10-34 | 15-32-0 | 1-(-4)-0 | 3.8 |
| Barkley | Den. | L 13-27 | 10-26-0 | 1-1-0 | 3.7 |
| Barkley | at Dall. | L 20-44 | 2-9-0 | 0-0-0 | .9 |
Barkley looked like a transcendent back as a rookie, but he’s faltered the last three years. He’s been hampered by injuries, and there hans’t been a good enough cast around him. The Giants are probably hoping he’ll re-emerge in the final season of his rookie contract, but they’ll also need to add a depth running back in the offseason.
—Ian Allan