John Harbaugh Says Tyrone Tracy's Giants Role Is 'Still to Be Determined'

John Harbaugh said Sunday that he has not decided whether Tyrone Tracy Jr. will keep his role in the Giants' running back rotation, a week after back-to-back mistakes raised questions about the third-year back's standing on the roster.

"It's ongoing right now. It's still to be determined over the course of the next week to see exactly where it shakes out, and we'll keep working at it," Harbaugh said, according to Patricia Traina of Giants On SI.

Harbaugh also said the mistakes don't erase Tracy's track record. "I don't think you say, hey, a bad play or even two bad plays nullifies a whole career body of work, so to speak," he said. "And even in the game, he played well. He had numerous good runs, catches—pass protection pickups were good, but he had the one play that's the one thing you don't want to have as a running back. And in the last two games, he's had two things you don't want to have. So, nobody feels worse about it than he does."

Watch Harbaugh's full remarks from Sunday's video conference with reporters:

Tracy missed a blitz pickup in the preseason opener against Minnesota on Aug. 15, allowing safety Jay Ward a clean hit on quarterback Jaxson Dart that sent Dart to the medical tent for what Traina reported was the sixth time in his career. Against Miami on Aug. 22, he lost a fumble in the red zone. He had been listed with the first team on the Giants' first unofficial depth chart.

Harbaugh's first public reaction, a day after the loss, was less measured. "There's no way he should have been hit there," he said. "That was a basic protection. Should have been protected and we expect him in that situation to be protected in the future." He made the comments on video the day after the game:

No beat reporter has reported that the Giants have demoted him, and blocking numbers from last season complicate the case for one. Tracy's pass block win rate last season was 83.3%, just behind Devin Singletary's 84.6% and well ahead of starter Cam Skattebo's 66.7%, ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported Friday. "His blocking also hasn't been a problem," Raanan wrote.

Tracy has also kept getting first-team practice reps since the Vikings game, including as the first running back up when practice resumed Aug. 18, per ESPN's training-camp reporting. That distinction has rotated between Tracy and Skattebo throughout camp, so it isn't on its own a sign of where Harbaugh is leaning.

Trade speculation has also followed Tracy through the week. Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com suggested on his "All In" podcast that the Giants would move Tracy if it brought back help at defensive tackle or cornerback. According to accounts of the episode, Stapleton also said Tracy will "clearly" make the Week 1 roster.

The Najee Harris signing has been read by some as a response to Tracy's missed block. Raanan reported that the Harris workout "was set up last week" and "had nothing to do with Tyrone Tracy's missed block." The Giants had already waived running back Dante "Turbo" Miller with a groin injury from the same Vikings game, days before Harris signed. Stapleton reported separately that Harris' workout had been scheduled before the Vikings game. Harris signed Aug. 18 on a one-year veteran minimum deal worth $1.215 million with no guaranteed money.

Singletary led the team with 40 yards on eight carries against Miami, capped by a 13-yard touchdown that was the best run of the night:

He has yet to allow a quarterback pressure in two preseason games, Traina reported Aug. 23. Tracy's blitz pickups were better against Miami than they had been against Minnesota, Traina wrote, though the fumble overshadowed the improvement. Conor Killmurray of Yardbarker reported that Tracy played special teams into the third quarter and called it alarming usage for a projected No. 2 back.

The fumble is the more lasting concern. NFL.com credits Tracy with six career fumbles and three lost, five of them as a rookie in 2024. Traina put the figure at five career fumbles. He fumbled once in 2025.

The money does not force a decision. Tracy counts $1,146,588 against the cap this season, per Spotrac, and cutting him would leave $143,176 in dead money — a savings of about $1 million for a team with $14.95 million in space. He is signed through 2027. Harbaugh kept four running backs on Baltimore's Week 1 roster last season.

Tracy has not spoken publicly since the Vikings game. The Giants play at the Jets on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Rosters must be cut to 53 by 6 p.m. Sunday, two days earlier than the NFL's traditional deadline.