Paul Perkins entered his second NFL season as one of 32 starting running backs and finished it with fewer rushes than 95 other ball-carriers.

It was a strange 2017 for Perkins, who was handed the starting job in the spring when the Giants cut veteran three-year starter Rashad Jennings to save money against the salary cap.

Perkins, a fifth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, averaged 4.1 yards per carry as a rookie who spelled Jennings while soaking up the veteran's knowledge.

"I encouraged him and molded him and let him know that he needs to see himself as the starter," Jennings told NJ Advance Media. "Even when I was (starting) in the beginning of the year, I was telling himself that he needs to see himself as the future of the team: Prepare that way, train that way, look at it that way and walk that way."

But the plan went awry somewhere.

Some days, then-coach Ben McAdoo expressed a lot of confidence in Perkins. Others, he seemed overly critical of the youngster.

Perkins looked a step slow during the preseason and managed just 61 yards on 32 carries during the Giants' 0-4 start. Perkins suffered a rib injury, missed five games and returned to be buried on the depth chart behind new starter Orleans Darkwa and rookie Wayne Gallman.

Even veteran third-down back Shane Vereen (45) finished the season with more carries than Perkins (41), who finished rated as the No. 57 running back in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.

"Every player comes in with the desire to be the starter, the desire to carry the team, the desire to have the most impact on the team," the recently retired Jennings said. "I wanted him to prepare to put himself in that mindset."

Vereen likely is headed elsewhere in free agency. Darkwa also sounds ready to test the open market after four years with the Giants.

While the Giants likely will add another veteran to to the mix, internal evaluations of Perkins could determine whether to spend a draft pick on a running back for the third straight season. He is under contract for $693,137, according to spotrac.com.

Perkins has zero career regular-season touchdowns, but he had 80 catches and averaged 9.2 yards per perception in three seasons at UCLA.

First-year Giants coach Pat Shurmur's West Coast offense is most effective with running backs who double as pass-catchers.

"I've seen spurts where he can be the workhorse of the team," Jennings said of Perkins. "I talk to him and he's training right now in Arizona preparing for that opportunity."

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.

