Replacing Shane Vereen: Can Orleans Darkwa, Paul Perkins, and Bobby Rainey get it done?

The New York Giants suffered their first really significant loss of the season when it was announced that Shane Vereen would need to undergo surgery to repair an injured triceps.

It’s an unpleasant feeling of deja vu for Giants’ fans and a painful loss for the Giants’ offense. After three games Vereen was the team’s leading rusher with 147 yards on 31 carries (4.7 yards per carry) and a touchdown, and he also added eight receptions for 75 yards. Vereen has been one of the Giants’ most productive players.

The changes to the IR rule, removing the “designated to return” tag and allowing teams to bring back one player after a certain amount of time, mean that Vereen might find his way back to the roster later in the season. But for now it is once again “Next Man Up” for the Giants — an all too familiar refrain.

The Giants are turning to Orleans Darkwa, Bobby Rainey, and Paul Perkins to fill the void created by Vereen’s absence. Le’ts take a look at the skill sets of these players and see how they can pick up the slack.

Orleans Darkwa

If you think of Orleans Darkwa, odds are the first thing you visualize is a crushingly physical runner, a back who looks like he was shot out of a cannon towards the line of scrimmage.

Darkwa is a no-nonsense runner, committing completely to his run and hitting the hole with a vengeance. He hasn’t received many carries in his career, getting just 36 carries for 153 yards (4.3 yards per carry) in 2015, and 11 carries for 52 yards (4.7 yards per carry) through three games in 2016. Perhaps because of his running style, he has dealt with nagging injuries throughout his time as a Giant, the latest being a fracture that held him back over the summer. While he hasn’t distinguished himself as a receiver, he isn’t a liability, either.

Bobby Rainey

If the Giants are looking for a player to be a receiving threat out of the backfield, they might just turn to Rainey. Signed as an unrestricted free agent this past offseason, Rainey was considered a long-shot to make the Giants’ roster, but his ability as a kick and punt returner earned him a spot.

Rainey has issues with fumbles, putting the ball on the ground eight times as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer last season. However, he is an explosive weapon. He seems to play much faster than his 4.51 40 yard dash, with a powerful lower body and impressive agility letting him get up to speed quickly. And as a compact back at 5-foot-8, 208 pounds, he can hide behind blockers and slip would-be tacklers, and looks to be a good route runner.

"Bobby Rainey is a young man to keep an eye on," Sullivan said during minicamp. "He's done a lot of good things both from a running standpoint — he has good vision, good acceleration — and he's an excellent receiver, so it gives us some good problems to have in terms of saying who's going to be the individual or individuals who are going to carry the football."

Paul Perkins

The Giants’ newest running back might be at once the most exciting and the biggest question mark.

Thanks to rules preventing Perkins from joining the team until his class graduated, he missed a large part of the Giants’ offseason program, delaying his development in the offense. But on the field, particularly on his college tape, Perkins is an electrifying player. He has an uncanny ability to slip through holes that don’t even appear to be there and was one of the most consistently productive running back in the country.

After he was drafted, I had this to say about Perkins’ college tape:

Paul Perkins is definitely a fun back to watch, and it was a struggle to not simply make this a collection of highlight runs -- Spoiler: He has a lot of them.

While he doesn't have any elite measurable traits -- he isn't especially big, strong, fast, or explosive -- Perkins' balance, agility, quickness, and vision leaps off the screen. His toughness and desire are evident as well, as he is always fighting for an extra yard.

There are some who have said that if he were a bit bigger, or a bit faster, Perkins could have been in the conversation for first running back taken in the draft. To get a player as consistently productive and talented as Perkins in the fifth round could prove to be an impressive value. Paul Perkins is definitely a fun back to watch, and it was a struggle to not simply make this a collection of highlight runs -- Spoiler: He has a lot of them.

While he doesn't have any elite measurable traits -- he isn't especially big, strong, fast, or explosive -- Perkins' balance, agility, quickness, and vision leaps off the screen. His toughness and desire are evident as well, as he is always fighting for an extra yard.

There are some who have said that if he were a bit bigger, or a bit faster, Perkins could have been in the conversation for first running back taken in the draft. To get a player as consistently productive and talented as Perkins in the fifth round could prove to be an impressive value.

Ben McAdoo has said that Perkins is ready to step up and take a larger role in the offense. If Rashad Jennings thumb and wrist injury continues to limit his ability to securely hold the ball, Perkins might just get his chance.