The New York Giants have signed veteran running back Najee Harris to a one-year deal, releasing wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to clear roster space. Head coach John Harbaugh welcomed the physical runner to a crowded backfield already featuring Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy, and Devin Singletary as the team reshapes its offensive personnel.
To accommodate the new addition on the roster, the franchise planned to part ways with wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who spent much of training camp sidelined with a knee injury after signing earlier in the offseason alongside Odell Beckham Jr. and Braxton Berrios.
Backfield Evaluation and Harbaugh’s Assessment
Harris arrives in New York following a career that began in Pittsburgh, where he rushed 1,112 times for 4,373 yards and 28 touchdowns after being selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. After his fifth-year option was declined, he played for the Chargers in 2025, a season cut short by a Week 3 Achilles tear against the Denver Broncos following a training camp eye injury.
Giants head coach John Harbaugh evaluated Harris following a workout on Monday, noting both the player’s physical traits and his current recovery status.
“He’s not back 100 percent. He’s not in football shape yet. So, if we are able to do something, it’ll be a process. But that would be a guy that has got a lot of experience. He’s a decorated vet. And with those guys, generally, you just have to kind of see where they’re at when you get them. And sometimes it works out great. Sometimes it’s just okay, and other times it doesn’t work out.”
John Harbaugh, Head Coach
Harbaugh also praised the player’s reputation and running style in subsequent comments, highlighting connections to his brother and Senior Offensive Assistant Greg Roman, as well as former Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin.
“Anybody that’s watched him play knows what type of a back he is. He’s a downhill runner, physical runner. I’ve played against him a lot. I have a good feel for who he is as a player. Everybody that’s been around him, my brother, G-RO (Senior Offensive Assistant Greg Roman), (former Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach) Mike Tomlin, love him as a teammate. So, excited for the possibilities.”
John Harbaugh, Head Coach
Harris expressed immediate enthusiasm for the scheme fit after his first practice with the team.
“I want opportunity. I think this is a good opportunity here. I think the style of play that they’re heading towards is the style of play that aligns with me. Harbaugh coming from the AFC North, me playing against him a lot of times, I know the type of style of football he wants. I think that we align with each other with what type of football we want to play. I think that just coming here is a good opportunity, and I’m willing to just put my foot in there and help out in any way I can.”
Najee Harris, Running Back
Navigating a Crowded New York Rotation
The addition introduces immediate complexity to a running back room that already carried multiple contributors. The group is anchored by second-year player Cam Skattebo, who returned to training camp following a complex leg injury from last year that involved an open tibia fracture, an ankle dislocation, and a deltoid ligament rupture. Alongside Skattebo stands third-year back Tyrone Tracy Jr., who led the team in carries over the last two seasons, and veteran Devin Singletary, who split time with Tracy and Skattebo during the opening preseason action.
At 6-foot-1 and 242 pounds, Harris matches a physical prototype that Harbaugh has frequently favored throughout his coaching career, historically deploying big backs like Derrick Henry, Gus Edwards, and Mark Ingram II for heavy workloads. While Skattebo, Tracy, and Singletary offer different stylistic traits, Harris brings traditional size for early-down grinding as well as established pass-protection skills that could challenge incumbent snaps on passing downs.
Roster Implications and What Lies Ahead
Bringing in a veteran of Harris’s stature so late in the offseason suggests that franchise leadership wanted additional certainty in the offensive backfield. With roster cutdown days looming in a few weeks, analysts point out that carrying four running backs into the regular season is rare, raising questions about how the final depth chart will settle among players acquired under prior management eras.
The team will evaluate Harris’s physical progression day by day as he works his way back into full football conditioning, with coaching staff observing how quickly the decorated veteran can absorb the playbook and integrate into the active rotation before the regular season commences.
