Giants Pull the Plug on Najee Harris Experiment in Latest Backfield Shakeup

Ian Rapoport just dropped the hammer on Tuesday afternoon: the New York Giants are releasing running back Najee Harris. If you blinked, you might have missed his entire tenure in East Rutherford.

Just days ago, whispers suggested Harris was about to carve out a bigger role in the offense over Cam Skattebo. Instead, the only thing expanding is his amount of free time. The Giants' backfield shakeups are happening so fast you need a spreadsheet just to know who is taking handoffs in practice.

"Source: The #Giants are releasing RB Najee Harris, another RB shakeup."

The writing was probably on the wall if you looked at the box scores. Harris logged just 31 carries for a brutal 99 yards this season, averaging a sluggish 3.2 yards per attempt with zero trips to the end zone.

It has been a rough road back for the 28-year-old former first-round pick. After stringing together heavy-volume seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, an Achilles injury wiped out his 2025 campaign with the Los Angeles Chargers. New York took a flyer on him with a one-year deal, but the explosion just was not there.

The move comes right after the Giants dropped a 34-27 game to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. When a team is trying to stop the bleeding, veteran depth pieces who are averaging three yards and a cloud of dust are usually the first ones shown the door.

For anyone who was holding out hope on the fantasy waiver wire or eyeing his rushing props for a bounce-back week, it is time to officially let go. The 2021 version of Najee is not walking through that door.

Now Harris hits the open market in late October. He might catch on with a contender desperate for emergency pass-blocking and goal-line depth, but his days as a featured back are firmly in the rearview mirror. As for the Giants, they will keep shuffling the deck chairs in the running back room ahead of their next matchup.