The 2021 season was supposed to be the return of Saquon Barkley to the ranks of the league’s top running backs. It has not gone as planned for him or the New York Giants, who are fully invested in the former first-round pick.
For the moment, anyway.
Barkley put in another lukewarm performance during the Giants’ 20-9 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. He rushed for 55 yards and caught six passes for 19 more yards but dropped two passes and failed to spark the offense he once carried so easily on his shoulders.
After the game, Barkley was confronted with myriad questions from reporters regarding his performance and the state of the team. He is keenly aware the Giants have been a doormat since his arrival in 2018 and now his personal performance is well shy of what’s expected of a superstar.
Barkley dodged the obvious questions regarding the buzz that he’s “not the player he used to be” with a “that’s their opinion,” adding that he knows who he is.
That sentiment could be seeping into the minds of the Giants’ coaching staff, who have been limiting Barkley’s use in the run game since his return three weeks ago from an ankle injury.
“I mean, you know, not — not producing in the run game right now, so I can’t — cannot be upset that I’ve got 11 carries. We’re not doing anything. Myself, I’m not doing anything in the running game. I’m not affecting the game in that aspect. That kind of happens, especially when you get down and you play from behind,” Barkley acknowledged.
Barkley can only stay positive. That all he has at this point — a Pro Bowl rookie season that is becoming further and further away in the rearview mirror. Since then, his name has appeared more on the injury report than it has on the NFL’s leader boards.
Barkley is on the books for one more season at a salary of $7.2 million, but a new regime may not see him as a vital building block any longer. He spoke about not getting things going this season from both his perspective and the team’s.
“It’s part of the game. I guess we’re in a slump right now, talking personally, myself. And I could either sit down, cry about it and give up or go back to work and keep working and keep figuring it out,” Barkley said. “And that’s — I’m going to do the other side of it, go back to work, put my head down and keep working, keep leading and keep trying my best.”
In eight games this season, Barkley has rushed for 315 yards and two touchdowns while averaging just 3.8 yards per carry. He’s hauled in an additional 30 receptions for 193 yards and one touchdown, but has dropped more than a handful of passes.
All told, this “comeback” for Barkley isn’t close to the Hollywood script he and head coach Joe Judge had promised.
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