Maybe, just maybe, the New York Giants’ roster needs aren’t what they thought they were.

Ahead of their Week 7 game against the Houston Texans, the Giants were thought to need a running back to boost a sagging rushing attack. The unit ranked 22nd in the league at a dismal 3.8 yards per carry, its 629 rushing yards ranked 16th, and its offensive success rate of 43.2% ranked 20th.

But after head coach John Harbaugh challenged his running backs to step up, they delivered a historic performance. For the first time since October 1950, four different runners scored a touchdown in a 27-21 overtime win over the Texans.

With the rushing game delivering 188 yards on 34 carries against what had been the league’s third-ranked run defense, New York has quelled the calls for a trade for a running back such as Colts star Jonathan Taylor, who is believed to be among those the Colts are considering moving by the November 10 trade deadline.

This isn’t to say that the Giants won’t need to add to the running back group at some point. New York is undoubtedly holding its collective breath that the hamstring injuries suffered by Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. heal up over the bye.

But with the running game boosted not just by the backs themselves but also by the insertion of quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who brings back the RPO threat, the need to trade for a running back isn’t as great as it once was.

Delaying the Inevitable?

That all being said, the Giants still need to watch the future.

Running back Devin Singletary is in the final year of his contract, and there is no guarantee he’ll be back with the team after this year.

Skattebo, despite the energy he brings to the game, is still part of a rotation that has seen him primarily handle the early-down and goal-line duties, casting doubt on whether he’s a legitimate RB1 or just someone who, by virtue of the Giants’ running back room, has been thrust into that role.

And Tracy is more of a change-of-pace back than the bell cow Harbaugh seems to want in the offense.

Remember, it wasn’t that long ago when the Giants reportedly had strong interest in former Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, who was taken one pick before the Giants went on the clock this past April.

It also wasn’t that long ago that Harbaugh yearned for a workhorse running back like the one he had in Baltimore with Derrick Henry. He said he “would love for us” to have “a Derrick Henry circumstance.”

But Harbaugh and the Giants must honestly answer whether they are one running back away from not only making the postseason but also staying there once they do.

If their current running backs keep delivering as they did against the Texans, they could defer adding a workhorse running back until next offseason, when they can get someone either in free agency or on a rookie contract via the draft.

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