New York Giants: Wayne Gallman can win job from Paul Perkins

New York Giants rookie Wayne Gallman has an opportunity to take carries away from Paul Perkins during the final two games of the preseason.

One of the worst-kept secrets hovering over the New York Giants this summer is that head coach Ben McAdoo is not enamored with his team’s offense. New York’s first-team unit failed to locate the end zone in a pair of preseason games, multiple wide receivers are dealing with injury setbacks, and there are serious concerns about an offensive line tasked with protecting two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning and with opening gaps for running backs.

Admittedly, New York’s rushing attack is not advertised to be anything special. After all, Manning has Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall, Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram as weapons in his arsenal. This offense is built to make plays down the field and win or lose via the aerial attack assuming Beckham, Shepard and Marshall are able to work through the knocks they’re dealing with this month.

With that said, McAdoo hasn’t been shy about hitting out at the offense’s inability to move the ball on the ground this summer. As Dan Duggan of NJ.com wrote ahead of last Monday’s preseason game between the Giants and Cleveland Browns, both the head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan recently offered public criticism of second-year pro Paul Perkins. To his credit, Perkins admitted he needed to perform better than he did during the club’s preseason contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Unfortunately, Perkins didn’t walk the walk versus the Browns after talking the talk. While he did post a 16-yard carry during Monday’s contest, he finished the outing with a total of 10 yards on six rushes. Yes, that means the 22-year old managed to average negative yards throughout his other five rushes. While the offensive line can be blamed for much of his woes, that nevertheless remains a worrisome stat.

Enter rookie Wayne Gallman, the fourth-round pick originally thought to add depth at the position but who now could take some carries away from Perkins over the next several weeks. Gallman didn’t torch the Browns for any lengthy carries at FirstEnergy Stadium, but he flashed a bit of promise en route to earning 22 yards on five rushes. He also reeled in two of three receptions for 20 yards.

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As with most things regarding the New York offense these days, it wasn’t all positive for Gallman. He coughed up a fumble in the fourth quarter, although at least some of that could be blamed on the exchange in the backfield. That wasn’t the first time Gallman has put the ball on the turf this month, but logic suggests such concerns can be remedied via additional reps in practices and during opposing defenses.

Heading into July, the hope was that Perkins would show improvement and establish himself as the undisputed starter worthy of earning the bulk of carries during games, and also prove he is capable of taking some pressure off Manning and the passing game. That hasn’t happened. Truth be told, Perkins largely looks like the same player from a rookie season that was fine, but also hardly dynamic. Some may even say Perkins isn’t even worth a flier late in a fantasy football draft at the moment.

Granted, neither Perkins nor Gallman can magically create lanes up front. Both men need and deserve better from an offensive line that has done zero favors to potential playmakers. Even the best backs in the league would probably feel at least a little frustrated upon consistently confronting would-be tacklers in the backfield. The line is what it is, though, and the hope, moving forward, is that both backs will receive some help from fullback Shane Smith and possibly from tight end Rhett Ellison.

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Observations about blocking schemes aside, McAdoo and his staff may want to consider feeding Gallman as a member of the first-team offense against the New York Jets this coming Saturday. If nothing else, Gallman taking some carries and playing time away from Perkins would send a definitive message to all who are struggling as members of the New York roster that only so many spots on the depth chart are guaranteed. It’s possible Gallman could create a bit of a backfield controversy if he put together even a handful of significant plays during the Snoopy Bowl.

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