Giants sign the most painfully obvious Saquon Barkley replacement possible

The New York Giants watched Saquon Barkley leave for the Philadelphia Eagles and are now bringing in a former Buffalo Bills running back to replace him.
Aug 26, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll (right) and
Aug 26, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll (right) and / Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
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The New York Giants had their limit as to how much they were willing to re-sign star running back Saquon Barkley. They knew the risk that they would probably lose him to a team that was willing to pay more. The problem is, the team that was willing to pay Barkley and ultimately sign him was the Philadelphia Eagles.

On Monday, the Eagles and Barkley agreed to terms on a three-year, $37.75 million contract, which could go up to $46.75 million in incentives. So now, the Giants will get to see Barkley twice a year for, at maximum, the next three years. Not ideal.

The Giants are trying to finally fix their offensive line and make it above average. But who would they bring in at running back? If you are a Giants fan, it should not surprise you. You guessed it, it's a former Buffalo Bills running back!

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Giants are signing former Bills and Houston Texans running back Devin Singletary. The contract is for three years, worth $16.5 million contract which can go up to $19.5 million, per ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter.

Giants' Brian Daboll, Joe Schoen reunite with ex-Bills RB Devin Singletary

Giants head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen were with the Bills organization before heading to East Rutherford, N.J. Daboll and Schoen have never hesitated in bringing in former Bills players to join the Giants in their two seasons on the job.

Center Jon Feliciano, wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, running back Matt Breida, and wideout Cole Beasley are just some of the former Bills players to join the Giants in the past two years. So, it's not surprising that Singletary is the latest, considering he worked alongside Daboll as Buffalo's starting running back. Schoen was the assistant general manager for the Bills when they drafted Singletary out of Florida Atlantic.

In his three years with Daboll and Schoen in Buffalo, Singletary ran for 2,332 yards and 11 touchdowns on 495 carries while catching 107 passes for 691 yards and three touchdowns on 141 targets.

Singletary is coming off a career year in Houston. The 26-year-old running back recorded 898 rushing yards (career-high) and four rushing touchdowns on 216 carries in 17 games played.

Giants fans may not be thrilled about the Singletary signing, considering he is essentially replacing Barkley. But based on recent reporting, Singletary will be "one" of the Barkley replacements. There's always the chance that the team could use a Day 2 pick on a running back, which could feature the likes of Texas' Jonathan Brooks or Tennessee's Jaylen Wright.

The Giants are retooling their roster after a disastrous 2023 season. Now, Schoen and Daboll are bringing in a familiar face from Buffalo to help out their running game in a post-Barkley era.

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