Former Tennessee Vols RB makes big statement in his first 2024 NFL preseason game

New York Giants running back Eric Gray, a former Tennessee Vols standout, made quite a statement on Thursday night in his 2024 NFL preseason debut.

Gray, who spent the first two seasons of his career at Tennessee before transferring to Oklahoma, is currently battling for the Giants' No. 2 running back job.

And on Thursday night against the Detroit Lions, Gray made his case that the No. 2 job should be his.

The former Vol carried the ball four times for 52 yards and two touchdowns. Gray's first touchdown was a 48 yard run that featured a nasty move from the young running back that sent the defender into another dimension.

Tennessee fans saw plenty of that explosiveness from Gray during his two seasons on Rocky Top.

After the game, Gray was praised by Giants head coach Brian Daboll as a player who does everything right "on and off the field".

"I thought Gray kind of got stronger as camp went on," said Daboll. "Made a couple of nice plays tonight. Two young players (along with QB Tommy DeVito), keep developing them."

Gray is battling former Purdue running back Tyrone Tracy Jr for the No. 2 running back job in New York. Tracy just transitioned to running back in 2023 at Purdue, so I doubt this competition is going to change much based on one preseason game (the Giants likely want to see more of what Tracy can do).

But what Gray put on film on Thursday night will certainly help his case once that decision has to be made. From here, the former Vol just needs to show some consistency -- specifically in pass protection -- if he's going to force his way up the depth chart.

Related: Eli Drinkwitz is talking out of both sides of his mouth; Tennessee fans have every right to cast him as a villain