The New York Giants already have a promising young player at the running back position, but that won't stop them from going hard after another significant backfield addition in the NFL free agency period.
Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and GM Jerry Reese are reportedly paying close attention to running back Shane Vereen, formerly of the New England Patriots, during the waning moments of the NFL's legal tampering period.
"Giants are looking for a versatile RB, and to that end have shown significant interest in New England's Shane Vereen," Albert Breer of NFL.com tweeted.
Vereen, a former second-round pick by the Pats in the 2011 NFL Draft, has spent his entire four-year NFL career with New England.
He's an electric running back with serious talent that has struggled to stay healthy - this past season was the first in which he appeared in all 16 regular season games. Starting with his inaugural NFL season, he appeared in three, 13 and eight games prior to this year.
Vereen appears to be an ascending player as he posted the highest number of carries (96) and rush yards (391) of his career this season.
His strongest asset, as Breer notes, is actually his versatility and ability to catch the ball out of the backfield - he finished the 2014-15 season with 52 catches for 447 yards and three touchdowns.
He's also got ample experience working as part of a backfield rotation, something that will no doubt come with a move to the Giants, who already have Andre Williams, last season's fourth-round pick out of Boston College, on the roster.
Williams finished his rookie year with 217 carries for 721 yards. He's a big back with some serious wiggle. Pairing him with a guy like Vereen would give the Giants a strong 1-2 punch in the backfield that would potentially man the position for the next several seasons as Williams is only 22 and Vereen is 26.
While Rashad Jennings is presumably at the top of the depth chart to start the offseason, he's limited athletically and there's little guaranteed money in his contract ($2.812 million cap hit, $1.687 dead money if cut for next season), meaning there's every possibility that his stay on the New York roster could be short-lived if Williams continues to develop and Vereen is added.
