All reports regarding New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley’s rehabilitation from a torn ACL that cost him the final 14 games of the 2020 season have been positive thus far.
Barkley has been working out feverishly and his progress has been well noted. By most accounts, he is on schedule to play in the Giants’ 2021 opener again the Denver Broncos on September 12.
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However, there are still some lingering doubts. Until the team sees Barkley perform in a football setting, they won’t know for sure if their star will actually return on time for the beginning of the season.
TMZ caught up with Jonathan Tisch, the Giants’ treasurer and brother of chairman Steve Tisch, this week.
He told us he’s pleased with what he’s heard about Barkley’s rehab so far. But, he added he doesn’t know if the 24-year-old will be able to begin the season on the field.
Still, it’s clear the Giants have no plans to rush him back … with Tisch telling us “don’t know, don’t know” when we asked if the tailback would be ready to go in September.
There’s more … Tisch sounded fired up about his team’s free-agent acquisitions and the draft — and he even praised Daniel Jones, calling the signal-caller “a terrific quarterback.”
How plugged in Jonathan Tisch actually is to the on-field football operations is unknown, but the Barkley rehab is at the top of the Giants’ list of priorities.
The team has been preparing in case Barkley’s rehab takes a detour, adding several running backs over the offseason, signing free agent Devontae Booker, drafting Arizona’s Gary Brightwell and most recently, bringing in former Philadelphia Eagle Corey Clement.