The New York Giants are still looking for help at running back, but they liked what Peyton Hillis did for them last season enough that they are on the verge of re-signing the veteran to a two-year deal before free agency opens at 4 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Hillis is having a physical in New Jersey on Tuesday, and the deal is expected to be completed soon, a league source confirmed to ESPN.com.
The Giants also retained Trumaine McBride on Tuesday, agreeing with the cornerback on a two-year deal worth $3.1 million, according to a league source.
The Giants signed Hillis off the street in October after a rash of injuries made their running back situation as desperate as any in the league. He carried the ball 73 times for 247 yards and two touchdowns in seven games, impressing quarterback Eli Manning and the coaches with his physical style and his ability to help in the passing game.
The Giants' projected starters at running back last year were Andre Brown and David Wilson, both of whom missed significant time because of injuries.
Brown is a free agent and Wilson is recovering from neck surgery, so the Giants will continue to look for a running back they can count on as a starter. But they do need depth at the position, and re-signing Hillis helps with that.
Hillis, 28, has rushed for 2,717 yards and 23 touchdowns in parts of six seasons with the Giants, Chiefs, Browns and Broncos.
McBride, who turns 29 in September, latched on with the Giants in 2013 and became a starting cornerback following injuries to Corey Webster and Aaron Ross.
McBride, a seventh-round pick by the Chicago Bears in 2007, bounced around the league a bit and spent the 2012 season out of the NFL.
In 10 starts for the Giants in 2013, McBride was credited with 15 pass breakups. He had two interceptions of Washington's Kirk Cousins in the final game of the season -- his only two NFL interceptions besides the one he recorded as a Bear in 2008.