One of the major stories at the New York Giants’ mandatory minicamp this week is the status of star running back Saquon Barkley, who is rehabbing from the surgery to repair a torn ACL he suffered in Week 2 of last season.
By all accounts, Barkley’s rehab is going well and the Giants have him in their plans for the upcoming season. When we’ll see him out on the field again, however, is still unknown.
The team is being very cautious with the 2018 Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowler. Head coach Joe Judge hinted this week that the club won’t turn him loose until he “can play 100 percent aggressive and confident and he’s going to play safe and he can play effective.”
In the interim, Barkley has been working out at the team’s facility waiting for the green light, which may not come for another two months at training camp.
“You know me, I’m going to take it one day at a time, come in with my head down and ready to work,” Barkley told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m fortunate enough that I don’t think that I have anyone around me — not going to think I know from top to bottom, there’s nothing that’s going to be forced for me to come back. It’s going to be whenever my body tells me I’m ready and it will show when I’m ready to go, that’s when I’ll be able to go out there and be hopefully as good as I was before or even better.”
The Giants have hedged their bet on Barkley’s return by beefing up their running back ranks with free agents Devontae Booker, Corey Clement, Ryquell Armstead and rookie Gary Brightwell.
Barkley is heading into this fourth year in the NFL. The Giants have really only gotten one full productive season out of him, his rookie year, when he led the league in total yards from scrimmage with 2,028. His sophomore campaign was interrupted by a high ankle sprain and then last year was wiped out by the ACL tear.
The club picked up Barkley’s fifth-year option earlier this spring meaning this isn’t a do-or-die year for him, but he’s not looking at it like that. He knows he can’t be on the field with the team right now, so he’s playing the role of mentor to the other backs. He is now the veteran in the running back room.
“Going into year four, understanding the offense a little bit more and understanding football a little bit more, even though I wasn’t playing last year, just the way I’m able to answer some questions in the meeting rooms, joke around, smile — something like that, joking around,” Barkley said.
“(Gary Brightwell), excited for him, I think he’s really talented. Any time in the meeting rooms or anything that I’ve seen so far in my short — as a veteran, give him advice and help him out as much as I can.”
It’s only a matter of time now for Barkley as he gears up to resume what many hoped would be a ‘gold jacket’ career.
“Only thing for me is just work and just try to be ready for my team, whenever that is, and like I said, I’m very blessed and in a great place where I feel like, you never know, other places and different circumstances, you feel like you’re being rushed,” Barkley said.
“But I don’t think; I know, from Coach Judge from the training room from top to bottom from my teammates that I know that they want to see me healthy, but they want me out there when they know I can be out there. For me it’s coming to work every single day so I can be a help to my team, and we have a successful season.”
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