Ex-Cowboys RB Rod Smith, Giants Agree to Contract for 2019 Season

The New York Giants added to their running back depth on Wednesday, signing veteran Rod Smith. 

Smith, 27, appeared in 16 games for the Dallas Cowboys in 2018, rushing 44 times for 127 yards and a score. He also caught nine passes for 60 yards and earned an "average" grade of 57.6 from Pro Football Focus.

To put that in perspective, his new teammate, Saquon Barkley, earned an 85.9 grade from PFF, third among running backs.

Smith has rushed for 364 yards and five touchdowns in his four-year career with the Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks, serving as a backup.

He'll be fighting to do the same in New York behind Barkley, who lived up to the hype in his rookie season, accumulating 2,028 yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns. It's a crowded depth chart behind him, with Smith fighting for a role with last year's backup Wayne Gallman, Paul Perkins, Elijhaa Penny, Robert Martin and Jon Hilliman. 

Some combination of Smith, Gallman and Perkins will be expected to win the backup jobs. Perkins missed the entire 2018 campaign with a torn pectoral muscle. He had once been tipped as a potential future starter in New York before the team drafted Barkley last spring. 

Smith's addition isn't a headliner signing, but he was a solid backup in Dallas and should give the Giants a big, physical option behind Barkley.