Giants sign Najee Harris to one-year deal

We can’t endorse relying on anyone in this backfield as a surefire bellcow in the event that Cam Skattebo gets hurt or is ineffective enough to lose playing time. It seems like it will be hard to rely on Tracy to have a major role this year with Harris in town.

Harris saw his first game action since he suffered a torn Achilles last year. The 28-year-old running back had 39 yards on 11 carries and his longest run was for nine yards. Harris added a 20-yard reception, giving him 59 scrimmage yards on 12 opportunities. Harris was brought in to be a “significant contributor” to the Giants, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. He looked the part in Friday’s preseason finale against the Jets.

This will be the first look we get at Harris since he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 3 last season. The 28-year-old vet signed a deal with the Giants less than two weeks ago, but could end up being a “significant contributor” to the Giants’ backfield, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Whether or not Harris has any fantasy value as a standalone option with Cam Skattebo healthy is to be determined, but he could be the leader in the clubhouse to be the next man up should Skattebo ever miss time, making him an intriguing late-round pick in fantasy drafts.

It’s worth noting that Cam Skattebo continues to be the first running back up in practice, but it sounds like the Giants could have a vision for Harris, who signed with the team on a one-year, minimum-salary deal, per Raanan. Harris is returning from a torn Achilles that ended his 2025 season in Week 3, but there’s plenty of room for him to earn snaps behind Skattebo once he gets up to speed. A blown pass-blocking assignment by Tyrone Tracy in the team’s first preseason game against the Vikings raised immediate questions about whether or not the Giants will trust Tracy in pass-blocking situations this season, and Harris has proven to be a capable pass-blocker in the past. At this point, it’s hard to imagine Harris having any standalone fantasy value in a healthy Giants backfield, but he could be worth a handcuff to Skattebo in deeper leagues based on these latest reports.

This comes two weeks after The Athletic’s Dan Duggan said the team could look to add a veteran running back before the team’s season opener. Harris, 28, suffered a torn Achilles in Week 3 of last season and has been working toward a return. He met with the Raiders earlier this offseason and will now meet with the Giants, who have a relatively crowded backfield with Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy, and a proven vet in Devin Singletary. If Harris were to join the Giants, we would expect him to work behind both Skattebo and Tracy.

Duggan buried this thought in a lengthy social media post last Wednesday. He says Giants RBs Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy “are fine,” but notes that the front office was “open to upgrading to a premier back,” referring to Cardinals rookie RB Jeremiyah Love. Duggan “could see a vet signing,” like free agent RB Najee Harris (Achilles) once he is healthy, “or a trade.” A veteran like Harris would slide into the RB3 role, and might occasionally steal enough touches to hurt Skattebo’s weekly ceiling outcomes. A premier back would have a much larger impact, but a player like that would obviously be much harder to acquire at this point. That outcome seems far less likely at this point, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the Giants added another name to the backfield.

Harris visited the Seahawks last week as well. The 28-year-old running back is generating interest as he progresses through his rehab program. He suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon rupture in the Chargers’ Week 3 win over the Broncos last year. During his short 2025 season, he rushed 15 times for 61 yards and caught 3-of-3 targets for 25 yards.

Harris visited with the Seahawks on Wednesday and now has a visit with the Raiders on tap. The 28-year-old running back is still recovering from a torn Achilles he suffered last season, but has been seen running at full speed in recent videos. While Harris will need to be able to do more than run in a straight line when he returns to football activities, the veteran running back is clearly trending in the right direction ahead of training camp. Harris would operate as the clear RB2 in Vegas behind Ashton Jeanty if he were to join the Raiders, but could find a role in head coach Klint Kubiak’s offense, given Kubiak’s tendency to utilize multiple backs. Harris rushed 15 times for 61 scoreless yards before his injury last season, but strung together four-straight 1,000-yard campaigns with the Steelers to start his career.

A vacuum in need is a vacuum indeed, and with Kenneth Walker gone, Emanuel Wilson is likely the No. 1 back on the depth chart at this point in the offseason. Harris missed most of last season with a torn Achilles after a 15/61 rushing line in a few weeks with the Chargers. He’s somehow still only 28. It is a fit that makes sense from the outside if the Seahawks are comfortable with Harris’ medicals. Ian Rapoport reports that Harris plans to visit the Raiders in the near future.

In a video posted to social media, Harris was reportedly “running with ease at 15 MPH.” The veteran running back still has a long way to go in his recovery since going down in Week 3 of last season, but with free agency looming, Harris is hoping to prove to a team that he’s worth taking a chance on this upcoming season. Whether or not he’ll sign before fully healthy is unknown, but Harris, 27, should have plenty of suitors lining up to bring him in on a one-year prove-it deal this offseason.