The New England Patriots are likely in the market for a third running back after Antonio Gibson went down in Week 5 to a torn ACL. Although the Patriots don’t have a great run game right now, it’s an area of improvement that they’re not shying away from moving forward.
Given New England's current needs in the backfield, it might be worthwhile for the Patriots to see what it would take to acquire New York Giants’ veteran Devin Singletary to help bolster the rushing attack. Singletary still has two years and $11 million remaining on his contract before becoming eligible for free agency in 2027.
The Giants are currently undergoing a rebuild that’s featuring a youth movement led by rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart and rookie running back Cam Skattebo. With Tyrone Tracy Jr. in his second year, this has pushed Singletary to third on the depth chart in New York.
It’s worth mentioning that Patriots’ Vice President of Player Personnel, Ryan Cowden, held a large role with the Giants as Executive Advisor to the General Manager from 2023-24. He was also part of the front office that originally signed Singletary to the Giants as a free agent.
Pats Should Inquire About Possible Trade for Giants RB Devin Singletary
Perhaps Cowden still has some contacts within the Giants' front office who are willing to work with him on a potential trade for Singletary. The Patriots will likely have safety Kyle Dugger as well as defensive ends Keion White and Anfernee Jennings available in any negotiations, considering they’ve all been rumored at one point or another to be traded this season, along with a draft pick.
The addition of Singletary would be a low-risk, high-reward situation at best for New England, giving it the depth it needs at the position with a player who fits the model of a Patriots running back as a versatile option in the passing game.
Since Singletary entered the NFL in 2019, he has 5,213 scrimmage yards with a total of 24 touchdowns. That ranks as the 15th most for a running back during those five years. For comparison sake, that is more than James Conner (5,065), Tony Pollard (4,940), and Najee Harris (4,135) have accomplished during that timeframe.
In 2023, Singletary enjoyed the best year of his career as the lead-back in a dual-threat concept with the Houston Texans and Dameon Pierce. Singletary ran for 898 yards on 216 attempts, which caught the attention of Cowden and led to the Giants adding him to the roster the following year.
The addition of Singletary to the Patriots would be an easy path for them to improve the run game while also adding the type of veteran depth that’s needed at the position.