The New York Giants are entering a key offseason under new head coach John Harbaugh that will revolve around making life as easy as possible for Jaxson Dart.

Dart showed a lot of promise as a rookie and that was without a good offensive line and Malik Nabers. Cam Skattebo was also lost for the year after dislocating his ankle in Week 8.

Speaking of Skattebo, he should be good to go for offseason activities and the Giants have a solid running back group in him, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Devin Singletary, and Eric Gray.

But multiple free agency rumors have them interested in making that room even better by adding Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III.

Why would the Giants be interested in Kenneth Walker III?

NBC Sports’ Matthew Berry puts out a yearly article of rumors he hears at the NFL Combine. He makes it very clear that everything is unsubstantiated, which is important context and the transparency is not only necessary, but also appreciated.

Still, a lot of what he’s put out in the past has come true, so it’s worth the read and the discussion that comes afterward.

This is what Berry had to say about Walker III:

“I put out a bunch of social videos from the NFL Combine last week and one of them focused on running backs. And perhaps the most surprising RB rumor I heard was Ken Walker… to the Giants. Doesn’t mean he is definitely going there but the Giants are very interested in him.

Speaking of Walker, I was told Seattle is expecting to lose him. They love him but given other team needs they aren’t willing to pay top dollar for him. As it was told to me, the Seahawks attitude is, basically, ‘Hey, Ken, go out there and test the market. If someone is willing to pay $12 or $13 million, good for you. Get paid. But if your market is around $10 million then come back and talk to us.’”

So why would the Giants want Walker III? It’s pretty simple: Walker III gives the Giants an explosive dual-threat option out of the backfield and Harbaugh loves to run the ball. The combination of Skattebo and Walker III would force defenses to seriously account for whomever is in the backfield, regardless of the situation.

Adding Tracy Jr. and/or Singletary (the Giants could certainly keep both, but it’s highly unlikely) gives the Giants one of the best, if not the best, running back groups in the NFL, as well. That’s some serious depth that would really help Jaxson Dart’s development and it would make his life a lot easier.

Can the Giants afford Kenneth Walker III?

In a short answer: Yes, but the Giants will have to do some work in order to put themselves in position to pay Walker III. Right now, they have less than $2 million in cap space, per Over The Cap, so moves will obviously be made.

It’s certainly feasible, as there are plenty of contracts to work with. For starters, releasing Singletary –and this is why I said it’s highly unlikely both he and Tracy Jr. stay in this hypothetical– would save $5 million in cash savings and open up $5.250 million in cap space, alone.

There are plenty of big contracts to tinker with in the form of restructures, or possibly extensions, and then certain guys will get released, too. Again, the Giants have work to do, but there’s a clear, realistic path they can take.

This isn’t the latest Giants-Kenneth Walker III connection

SNY NFL reporter Connor Hughes, who is obviously way closer to the Giants, also linked Walker III as a top option. Hughes recently stated the Giants are very heavy in the running back market and they’re looking to swing on big names like Walker III.

So, with free agency a little more than a week away, it’s safe to think the Giants are going to make a play for Walker III. Whether or not it happens remains to be seen.

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