Giants’ post-Saquon Barkley life comes into focus with Devin Singletary

Take a look, a good look, at Devin Singletary and there is a noticeable baby-face quality to his countenance.

The guy looks young, like really young. 

The 26-year-old running back smiles. He has heard this before. 

“I appreciate that,” Singletary said Friday after his third training camp practice with the Giants. “I get that a lot. I tell them my age and they’re like, ‘What, I thought you were like 22 or something.’ I’m like ‘Thank you.’” 

Of course Singletary is not old by any stretch of the imagination or by any definition, other than the one subscribed to by Joe Schoen, the Giants’ general manager, who used empirical data about running backs sliding backwards in performance after the age of 27 to justify tempering offers to Saquon Barkley. The immediate — the same day — fallback as soon as Barkley agreed to terms with the Eagles was to sign Singletary to a three-year deal worth $16.5 million. 

This is the vision and value Schoen has for the position — an average per year salary of $5.5 million. Schoen stretched for nearly two years to come to terms with Barkley and got as high as $13 million per year average but with less guaranteed money than Barkley received to fly the coop. 

Like it or not, Singletary and the Giants’ rushing attack will now be assessed from a post-Barkley prism and every yard and touchdown attained by Barkley with Philly will be judged against what Singletary and a young group of backs achieve with the Giants. 

Barkley, 27, arrived as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and was named the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year after a 1,307-yard debut season. Singletary was a third-round pick in 2019, spent four years with the Bills and last season with the Texans attained career-highs in yards (898) and rushing attempts (216). Singletary has been remarkably durable — 16, 17, 16 and 17 games the past four seasons — and his career yards-per rushing attempt of 4.6 is actually higher than Barkley’s 4.3. 

A quick glance indicates these are differently-made athletes. Singletary at 203 pounds is not skinny but at a generously-listed 5-foot-7 he is short. He looks as if he could take up residence in one of Barkley’s tree-trunk thighs. 

Singletary could have sensed what was about to unfold and ditched the No. 26 he has worn in the NFL, looking to avoid the obvious juxtaposition with Barkley, who made that number the most popular Giants jersey the past six years. Singletary opted not to change. 

“No, there’s no point,’’ he said. “Saquon’s a baller, everyone knows that. I feel like I’m a baller as well, but it didn’t have anything to do with that. I’m 26 and that’s the number I rock on. It just so happened he had the number.’’ 

Most always, there is some trepidation when a free agent is signed from another team but there was none with this transaction. Schoen and coach Brian Daboll were with Singletary for three years in Buffalo and they know the player everyone calls “Motor’’ will give them everything he has in a professional and low-key manner. 

“He has very good discipline,’’ Daboll said. “He has the right attitude. He’s got tremendous will and got a lot of grit to him. He does what he’s supposed to do when he’s supposed to do it. 

“There’s the dependability factor. Good communicator. He’s a very good leader in the running back room. He’s been around some good ones ahead of him, around Frank Gore, who’s one of the best to do it at running back. He’s not over-the-top loud, but I’d say he’s respected by the people in the locker room. He’ll do a good job for us.” 

A good job for a decent price is what the Giants are looking for here, with the hope that one of the unproven backs behind Singletary — Eric Gray or rookies Tyrone Tracy Jr. or Dante Miller — can augment the starter. If this is about paying less money for less production, so be it. The Giants want to be more of a pass-first attack this season anyway. 

Singletary can get tough yards and catch the ball out of the backfield. Despite his diminutive physique, he is a capable pass-protector. He is a good, solid player. 

“He does everything right,” guard Jon Runyan Jr., another free agent pickup, said. “There hasn’t been one play where there’s just kind of any lapse in anything.” 

Singletary has never made a Pro Bowl and will not appear in any top-10 list for running backs — or top-15, to be fair — and will never make headlines for what he says or what he posts. 

“I’m a dawg, that’s the best way to put it,” Singletary said. “Every play, I’m going to come out every game every week and give you everything I got, for the guys to the left and the right of me. They’re going to see I’m a grinder.” 

As he forges his place with the Giants, there will be a whole bunch of 26 jerseys out there with someone else’s name on the back. Something else to get used to.