The New York Giants open the season against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 12 — nearly a year to the day after running back Saquon Barkley suffered a major knee injury that ended his 2020 season. But after 11 1/2 months of rehab, there’s still no guarantee Barkley will be back on the field for Week 1.
What’s the latest on Saquon Barkley’s recovery from injury?
Only recently has Barkley, who needed surgery to repair a torn ACL and a damaged meniscus, done team drills. And as of late last week, he still had not met coach Joe Judge’s criteria to get into a game.
“I think every player has to have physical contact and experience the hits they’re going to take in a game before it becomes live, full speed in the regular season,” Judge said. “The reality is, the speed of the game increases from preseason to regular season to postseason. That’s just what happens. For us to put a player on the field without preparing him either through practice or preseason games without contact, we’re putting that player in danger and at a disservice.”
Giants taking it slow, Week 1 still in limbo
Barkley was in a red non-contact jersey in Thursday’s joint practice with the Patriots. Judge has remained noncommittal about the former No. 2 overall pick appearing in Sunday’s preseason game between the two teams.
Barkley, who had more than 1,000 rushing yards in his first two NFL seasons, underwent reconstructive surgery on Oct. 30 and sat out all of OTAs and minicamp. Doctors decided to delay the surgery to allow the knee’s swelling to subside.
The Giants have tailored the last 10 months of his rehab with the goal of having him ready for Week 1. However, as the opener nears, there’s still some mystery whether that goal will be met.
“The medical team will play a large part in where everybody is available for specific parts,” Judge said. “But as we build in, he’s consistently ramped up every week, increased his volume, increased his load.”
Barkley, a dynamic dual-threat RB who has scored 23 offensive touchdowns and averaged 4.7 yards per carry in his career, seems eager to mix it up in live action. He knows it is the only way he will shake off the rust of nearly 12 months of relative inactivity.
“All of that’s going to come back naturally from playing the game of football,” Barkley said. “Obviously I’m a little bit behind where I was when I last left off. That’s what naturally happens when you don’t play football for 11, 12 months. But my eyes are going to be all right because I’ve been watching a lot of film, watching a lot of practice. But it’s different watching and actually doing this.”