New York Giants running back Eric Gray had a forgettable rookie season.

Selected in the fifth round of the 2023 draft, Gray was up against the eight ball almost from the get-go when someone among the Giants brass thought it wise to turn the former Oklahoma running back into a kickoff return specialist.

The experiment failed big time, and to make matters worse, Gray suffered a calf injury that landed him on injured reserve for five weeks of last season.  

But that’s all in the past, as Gray, whose latest challenge is the presence of fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy, Jr. for the RB2 spot on the Giants, reminded people of what he’s capable of doing in the Giants’ 14-3 preseason win over the Detroit Lions in which he had both of the Giants’ touchdowns (both on the ground).

“I just wanted to put my best foot forward,” Gray said after the game. “I just want to be Eric Gray; just be me. Last year, I kind of made more football than it is. It’s just football at the end of the day. Just being me.”

Head coach Brian Daboll appreciated Gray’s efforts.

“It was good to see him make a few plays out there tonight,” he said. “He had some good runs in open space. A couple good plays on screen plays, but, a collective effort.”

Gray, along with the rest of the Giants running backs, have some pressure on them to produce, what with Saquon Barkley, previously the team’s bell cow running back, having departed for Philadelphia. The good news is that Gray and the Giants running backs managed to rush for 141 of the Giants’ 155 rushing yards on 21 of the 26 carries.

Gray, whose 48-yard touchdown run was the Giants’ longest of the evening, finished with 52 yards on four carries, a 13.0 yards per carry average, which might not seem very impressive. But he also added a team-leading four receptions (out of four pass targets) for 46 yards, including a long of 24 coming on a big third-down conversion.

“It felt good,” he said of his overall performance. “That’s what I do; that’s my title: Running Back. To be out there to be able to be me, that felt good.”

Gray deserves credit for not letting the circumstances of his rookie season or the arrival of Tracy drag his morale down.

“Football is the same game I have been playing since I was four years old,” he said when asked what he’s learned from his short time in the NFL. “There is no difference. When you’re young, people try to hype up that the NFL is a different league, but it’s the exact same game that I’ve been playing since I was four.”

Except he’s showing that he truly does belong at this level after the doubts that crept up last year.