Once Saquon Barkley signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants quickly adjusted and signed Devin Singletary to a three-year deal worth $16.5 million.

After it was clear that Barkley's new three-year deal worth $37.75 million with the Eagles was out of their price range, they pivoted to a cheaper running back on the market. With all the holes on the Giants roster, it probably wasn't worth it for the team to spend a lot of capital at the running back position.

The running back market was quite different this offseason than last, but there were still several players who signed at discounted prices that were better deals than what the Giants signed Singletary to.

Singletary is a fine player, but he's going to be 27 years old in September and just signed a contract with $9.5 million guaranteed. This contract makes a lot of sense for a team that is only a few pieces away from a championship in need of a running back, but not the Giants.

Singletary has consistently hovered around the 800 rushing yards per season mark. Where there is concern is the fact that he's never crossed the 1,000 rushing yards mark and the first time he had over 200 carries, he had his least efficient season. He's never had a lot of success reaching the end zone, only scoring more than five touchdowns once in his career.

He's a good player, who has some versatility to his game as a pass catcher and pure runner. He just may not have the ability to manage 250+ carries a season. Realistically, the Giants overpaid for a rotational running back with other more affordable, more talented running backs available throughout this offseason. So, who could they have acquired instead?

1 Tony Pollard - Signed With Titans

Pollard is by far the better and more explosive running back

If the Giants were interested in bringing back Barkley, but were scared off by the price, Tony Pollard was a bargain in free agency. Pollard signed a three-year deal worth $24 million, with only $10.4 million fully guaranteed with the Tennessee Titans. There are a lot more incentives in Pollard's contract, but he only has an extra $1 million in guaranteed money, despite being a much better running back than Singletary.

Everyone has a sour taste in their mouth following Pollard's 2023 season, where he had his least efficient campaign as a runner and pass catcher after securing the uncontested RB1 job. There were several factors leading to this though, including the fact that he was recovering from a broken leg and was adjusting to a new offensive scheme.

Not making any excuses for him, but it's more likely that these factors affected Pollard's game, rather than him simply regressing.

Pollard fits in a more modern running back room where he can rotate with another back, but receives 180+ carries and 50+ targets. He wouldn't be the bell cow that Barkley was, but he would give the offense the big-play ability that they lost from him. On a much more affordable contract than Barkley, Pollard would've helped the team save money without losing as much productivity from the running back position.

2 Marshawn Lloyd - Drafted By Packers

Giants could've avoided spending on the running back position by drafting one

In a clip of Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants, owner John Mara actually mentioned the idea of drafting a running back high to general manager, Joe Schoen. Well, the Giants didn't need to select a running back "high" in the draft, per se, but they could've taken one of the best running back prospects in this class with their third round pick.

Marshawn Lloyd, who was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round, is likely to work behind the team's shiny new RB acquisition, Josh Jacobs, but has the potential to supplant the former rushing champ.

Lloyd was incredibly efficient throughout his college career, even with limited touches at both South Carolina and USC. Maybe the Giants would've needed to pair Lloyd with another running back in free agency, but you would be drafting Lloyd to be the starting running back with limited capital due to his rookie contract.

While the statistics aren't glowing, he averaged 5.6 YPC on the ground and an incredible 13.3 Y/A in the passing game. He only had 291 carries in college, so he doesn't have much tread on his tires either. With a third round pick, this would've been a perfect and affordable way to address the running back position.

3 Zack Moss - Signed With Bengals

Typically, running backs become less productive as they get older, but Zack Moss has done the opposite. In his last two seasons on the Indianapolis Colts, he's averaged 4.5 YPC compared to the first three years of his career, when he averaged 4.1 YPC.

In the first episode of Hard Knocks, you can actually see the Giants had interest in Moss with scouts actively looking at his tape.

Maybe it was the situation in Buffalo when he was splitting time with Singletary from 2020-2022, but Moss is an improving running back who signed a two-year deal worth $8 million with the Cincinnati Bengals to take on their RB1 role after Joe Mixon's departure. Only $3 million of the contract was fully guaranteed, which is yet another sign that running backs are underappreciated in today's game.

Moss isn't as talented as Barkley or even Singletary, but he would've been much more affordable. With only $3 million guaranteed, there would be little to no risk in snagging the running back. He's still a talented player that seems to be hitting his stride right now at age 26.

4 Bucky Irving - Drafted by Buccaneers

Oregon's Irving could've given the Giants a cheap, yet versatile running back

Similar to Lloyd, Bucky Irving would've been an affordable way to secure a running back for the next four seasons. Irving had a strong scouting report, with proven success as a rusher and pass catcher. Most running backs aren't polished, especially as pass catchers entering the NFL, but Irving was drafted with 712 receiving yards in the last two seasons at Oregon.

Irving's slightly on the smaller side at 5'9 and 192 pounds, but year after year, we continue to see smaller running backs have more success in the NFL. If the Giants could've found their starting running back in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, they would've had additional draft capital and cap space to upgrade the rest of their roster.

Many fans expected Irving to compete for a starting running back job in the NFL, but it seems more likely that he will back up Rachaad White while also serving in a third-down back role, at least to start his NFL career.

5 Antonio Gibson - Signed With Patriots

A change of scenery could've helped Gibson return to his rookie form

Through Antonio Gibson's first two seasons in the NFL, it seemed like he would remain the bell cow for the Washington Commanders. Instead, the team drafted Brian Robinson Jr., who became the team's starting running back, fading Gibson out of the offense and into a smaller, third-down role.

It appeared Gibson's 2021 season might've cost him the job, as he had 258 carries, but had a massive dip in efficiency, as he averaged just 4.0 yards a carry. Since then, Robinson has been the main guy, though he didn't dominate the backfield as much as some may think in 2023, as he played 44.8 percent of offensive snaps while Gibson played 42.7 percent.

Despite that, Gibson saw fewer touches in each season from 2021-2023, so he decided to sign with the New England Patriots this offseason on a three-year deal worth $11.2. million with $5.3 million guaranteed.

What they will get out of Gibson remains to be seen, but considering the financial commitment, it's a very low-risk move, especially considering he has improved every year as a pass catcher. A deal like this would've given the Giants some stability with minimal cap space going to the running back position.

At the very least, the Giants would add another pass catcher who could realistically handle 150 carries per season. There would be a significant decline in production, but this would allow the team to cut costs at the position while maintaining upside.