Now two years into his career, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley will be looking to bounce back from an injury-riddled 2019 campaign.
After a superb rookie season, Barkley was the subject of a bad offense early in the season and one that didn’t get him the right amount of opportunities. Then he had to deal with an ankle injury that seemed to have stuck with him for the majority of the season.
Even so, Barkley came in at No. 13 in Bleacher Report’s rankings of the top 25 players under the age of 25.
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley undoubtedly suffered a sophomore slump in 2019. The 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year wasn’t himself after injuring his ankle early in the season, and he compiled nearly 600 fewer scrimmage yards and barely half as many touchdowns in three fewer games.
But Barkley still managed to go over 1,000 yards on the ground again, and his 4.6 yards-per-attempt average wasn’t shabby considering his health and a lack of offensive support. And we can’t forget that he led the league with 2,028 yards from scrimmage as a 21-year-old rookie.
The Penn State product can dominate, and we can’t ignore his unreal potential as a super-athlete with elite size, speed and vision.
Barkley just turned 23, so there’s little reason to doubt he’ll bounce back with a Pro Bowl-caliber third NFL campaign in 2020.
What was a big surprise for Barkley’s production during the season was how little he was used in the passing game compared to 2019. Of course, Daniel Jones’ downfield presence certainly plays a role, but the Giants didn’t seem to want to manufacture touches for the best player on their offense.
We will see if anything changes under new head coach Joe Judge and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, but Barkley is still undoubtedly one of the top young talents in the NFL.