With less than a week until the NFL’s annual trade deadline on Nov. 10, the New York Giants are busy hunting for roster additions that could strengthen their chase for the NFC East crown.

One position New York has made clear it wants to address is running back, where head coach John Harbaugh wants a bell-cow option, and the team has reportedly been an aggressive suitor in the bidding war for Indianapolis Colts star Jonathan Taylor amid the franchise’s selloff of top talent.

However, the Giants’ chances of casting the winning bid for Taylor’s services feel extremely unlikely given the Colts’ reported asking price of a huge haul of draft capital. The Giants are already missing a couple of mid-round picks in 2027, and a slew of other reported suitors have more to offer.

The Giants may also have found new hope in their current backfield, led by Cam Skattebo, who answered their coach’s call to boost the run game with a 188-yard, three-touchdown performance in the Week 7 win over the Houston Texans.

Even with that stellar game for the group, Big Blue’s rushing attack still ranks 20th in the league in average yards per carry, meaning there is room to reach their ceiling with a solid addition that won’t break their bank or carry much risk.

If the Giants bow out of the bidding for Taylor or lose it, the next best option, assuming he’s available for a trade, is Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard.

Pollard Could Fix One Glaring Issue in the Giants' Run Game

The Giants are familiar with Pollard from his days facing them in the NFC East as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

In his first five pro seasons with the Cowboys, Pollard started his career as the late-down back behind former All-Pro Ezekiel Elliott. As heavy usage and injuries ate into Elliott’s efficiency, the 2019 fourth-round pick out of Memphis earned his shot at more reps and a flashier rushing resume.

Since the start of the 2021 season, Pollard has topped 130 carries and 719 yards in every year while averaging 4.65 yards per carry.

That includes four consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns, two with the Cowboys and two more after joining the Titans in 2024. He also has 32 rushing touchdowns, which ranks 14th among active running backs since the 2021 season.

With eight games under his belt in 2026, Pollard has tallied 133 carries for 595 yards (4.5 average) and six touchdowns, making him the most productive weapon in Tennessee’s offense while creating a team-best 83.2 scrimmage yards per contest.

The intrigue around Pollard also comes from his reliability: he has missed only four of 125 games while starting 64 throughout his eight-year career, and he does a good job protecting the football, having fumbled more than twice in only one season.

For the Giants, adding a running back like Pollard would, most importantly, upgrade their backfield. Skattebo’s presence as an uber-physical rusher who fights for extra yards has been a big factor in New York’s top-15 status when running up the middle.

Running outside the tackles hasn’t been as efficient, and Skattebo’s physical style likely doesn’t translate to outside zone runs. The Giants have taken only 41 rushing plays beyond the B-gaps this season and averaged 2.2 yards per attempt, which lands them near the basement, per NFL GSIS.

Some might want to blame the offensive line’s suspect run blocking, but the key is that the Giants are missing an experienced running back with the intangibles to handle a larger load of outside zone rushing, and Pollard could fill that void.

Pollard’s best reps this season have come on the edges, where he earned 53 total carries for 261 yards and an average haul as high as 7.2 yards, per PFF advanced data. He has churned over 10 yards on six of those attempts and used his frame and shiftiness to produce 210 yards after contact and 13 of 23 missed tackles this year.

Inserting him into the top of the rushing rotation would give Harbaugh his three-down bell-cow while the Giants can mix in Skattebo’s power to help convert critical short-yardage downs that swing football games in their favor.

How Does Pollard Change the Giants' RB Depth?

The Titans seem to love what Pollard has been bringing to their offense since he arrived in 2024. They’ve even suggested the veteran running back isn’t on the table ahead of the deadline.

The Titans are an extremely young team and far from the same level as the Giants, and they’ll have to address the lack of talent at several key positions this offseason and in the draft. Keeping pricier veterans like Pollard might not make sense when they can gain some extra capital for the next stage of their roster rebuild.

The Giants have been an aggressive suitor for a running back despite their arguably larger need at defensive tackle and their limited array of draft choices in 2027. Still, Harbaugh understands what making a big splash can do for his offense and the health of his roster.

The only issue is that Pollard will be a free agent at the end of the season, making him a rental who would require the Giants to give him a new contract if they want him as their bell-cow back beyond the final nine games.

If they were interested in such an arrangement, Pollard would likely replace Devin Singletary, who is also set to be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. Singletary, nicknamed “Motor,” brings a special set of intangibles to the Giants’ ground game, but his days as a No. 1 back are long behind him.

Harbaugh could get his lead back in Pollard with Skattebo as the power back, and Tyrone Tracy sprinkled in as the pass-down back, leaving New York with a respectable trio in the backfield.

What Would the Giants Have to Give Up?

Aside from having to offer him a new deal at some point, the best projection of Pollard’s trade value is a Day 3 pick and, more specifically, a sixth-round selection based on the comparison of what the Bengals got from the Texans for Joe Mixon.

Again, the Giants face a bit of a dilemma in parting with any draft capital unless they are willing to dig into their 2028 picks. They already do not own a fourth- or fifth-round pick after the J.J. McCarthy deal with Minnesota, and losing a third pick would leave them with just three total picks this April.

A continued positive stretch for McCarthy could open the door for the Giants to trade him in the offseason and reclaim a pick or two, and it sounds like Harbaugh is already bold enough to sacrifice more draft assets to pry Jonathan Taylor from Indianapolis.

The difference is Taylor wouldn’t be a rental, since he is under contract through the 2027 season, and while a lack of assets is hurting the Giants’ chances of landing him, he has a much more accomplished resume that could make it worth it.