Saquon Barkley

New York Giants: Daniel Jones out, Sterling Shepard questionable going into Cowboys game

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sterling shepard, new york giants

When the New York Giants take on the Cowboys for the second time this year, they’ll have to dig deep and win with less talent than usual. That’s because some important players will be out for this game, including Daniel Jones and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson.

The player that is the most important in all of this, of course, is Jones. Some reports have indicated that he’ll be shut down for the season, but we aren’t seeing that yet. Still, he hasn’t been cleared to return from his neck injury, and it looks at this point like more than a regular neck strain.

Mike Glennon is once again the starter for the Giants, who lack a fitting alternative.

Jones isn’t the only player out, though. The Giants will have cornerbacks Adoree’ Jackson and Aaron Robinson missing, after they were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier in the week. Kadarius Toney was also placed on the list, giving the Giants one less weapon in the receiving game.

For some players, the verdict isn’t out yet but things aren’t looking great. Ben Bredeson, Austin Johnson, Leonard Williams, and Sterling Shepard were marked as questionable and participated in limited practice on Friday. Shepard made his return from an absence since week 8 when he played against the Chargers, but is now dealing with a calf injury following that game.

Saquon Barkley was also limited in practice, but it looks more likely than not that he’ll play. Barkley played in the past 4 games despite being listed with an injury, and hasn’t been placed on the ‘questionable’ section of the injury report.

All in all, it’s clear the Giants will need a well thought out game plan to remain competitive in this one. With the current injuries, talent alone isn’t enough.

New York Giants: Saquon Barkley wants to stay in New York for his entire career

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New York Giants, Saquon Barkley

Headed into this offseason, one of the questions for the New York Giants will be how to judge Saquon Barkley. The Giants may have picked up Barkley’s fifth year option, but that doesn’t guarantee his long-term future with the team given his current performance levels. Barkley has yet to rush for 100 yards in a game in 2021, and his 2 touchdowns at this point in the season place him on track to finish with the lowest total of his career outside of last year where he was injured a couple games in.

Not all of that is Barkley’s fault, of course. The offensive line wasn’t as bad when he first arrived with the Giants, and he saw a heavier usage as he wasn’t coming back from injury at the time. That is part of the reason why Barkley’s rookie numbers, including 11 touchdowns, are so much higher.

But even if problems outside of Barkley’s control have influenced his performance, there will still be plenty of conversation this offseason about his future with the team. Barkley was, after all, drafted with the number two overall pick. That doesn’t come with an easy standard to live up to, and it’s hard to say Barkley has lived up to it since his rookie year.

What has Barkley himself said about his potential future?

It looks like Barkley himself isn’t in any rush to move on to a team with a better situation. According to him, his plans are to stay around and be a part of turning around the Giants’ current fates.

“I plan on being a big reason why we turn this thing around,” Barkley told the Associated Press. “That’s just my mind-set, that’s my thought process. When I got drafted here, I said I want to be here for the rest of my life. I was born in New York, I’m from Pennsylvania. I live an hour and some change from my parents’ house. This is where I started my career, where I would love to finish my career. I know this thing is going to turn around and I would love to be a part of the reason it does.”

For now at least, any rumors about Barkley leaving New York aren’t going to come from Barkley’s own words.

With that being said, his future isn’t entirely in his own hands. The Giants are almost certainly going to have a new GM come 2022, and the decision of what to do with Barkley is a very relevant one in a future rebuild.

Of course, everyone would like to see Barkley bounce back and play like he did before injuries made a serious impact on his performance. But that may or may not happen, and it will be the job of a future GM to bet on one outcome or the other and act accordingly when it comes to a trade or offering a new contract.

New York Giants: Saquon Barkley reacts to the firing of Jason Garrett

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New York Giants, Saquon Barkley

The New York Giants are quickly approaching a division game with the Eagles, but the biggest story right now is still the changes in the organization. Jason Garrett is out as offensive coordinator, and the reactions have been trickling in. The Giants haven’t yet announced who will call plays in place of Garrett, but various members of the organization have given their remarks about the firing this week.

That includes Saquon Barkley, who was asked about it on Friday. Based on what Barkley said, it looks like the players are taking the firing as a sort of wake up call too.

“Obviously with JG getting fired, as an offensive player, you feel like you take some responsibility,” Barkley told reporters. “Obviously, we know that he’s the one that got fired, but we’ve still got seven games left and we’ve got to take responsibility about knowing that it wasn’t just only him.”

His comments are similar to those from Daniel Jones earlier in the week. Like Barkley, Jones acknowledged his own part in the outcome for Garrett.

Barkley’s comments are especially relevant this season as the running back is having a down year. Despite coming back with big expectations, Barkley has only played in 6 games at this point and has 220 rushing yards.

But of course, the poor offensive performance that got Garrett fired runs far deeper than Barkley. Against the Eagles, many eyes will be on the offense to see if that downward trend continues after Garrett. Barkley also spoke on the matter of what to expect the offense to look like on Sunday.

What will the offense look like on Sunday?

The Giants moved on from their offensive coordinator, but it’s unclear how much will change for the rest of the season. Many have pointed out how even if the playcalling is different, the offense is still limited by Garrett’s playbook. During the season, there’s no time to train for a complete revamp. Barkley’s comments on the subject echoed that idea.

“I mean, when you’re in Week 12 or Week 13 in the NFL, there isn’t really much more you can have. Obviously, you could have new wrinkles here and there, but you’re not really going to have much, the terminology is not going to change,” Barkley said.

We can perhaps expect more creative playcalls and better management on offense. But based on everything that’s been said this week by coaches and players, don’t expect any drastic changes. As much as the fans would like to see an instant leap forward in offense, the logistics of a drastic shift just aren’t possible at this point in the season.

New York Giants: Kadarius Toney doesn’t practice Thursday, Saquon Barkley limited

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new york giants, kadarius toney

At this point, many of the top playmakers for the New York Giants are synonymous with being injury prone. Just about all of their main skill position players on offense have spent time on the sidelines due to injuries in 2021, and some have been there more than others.

Promising rookie Kadarius Toney has battled injury from week to week, and that trend continues headed into the Eagles game. After playing on Monday Night Football and receiving 12 targets for 7 catches and 40 yards, Toney did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday according to the team injury report. The cause is a quad injury.

Another notable name dealing with an injury right now is Saquon Barkley. Barkley still isn’t completely over his ankle injury from earlier in the season, and was limited in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday.

It’s easy to see why the Giants believe Barkley is still hurt, given his performance coming back against Tampa Bay. Barkley had 6 carries in that game for 25 yards, and while he also had 6 receptions, he was far from the kind of impact player the Giants were hoping to get with his return.

Barkley has only played in 6 games this season and, before the Bucs game, was out since week 5.

Sterling Shepard rounds out the group of big-name playmakers to be limited or sit out. Shepard, who has only played 5 games this season and hasn’t taken to the field since week 8, did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday.

The New York Giants have one of the most injury prone offenses in the league

With the firing of Jason Garrett, many fans are considering the future of the offense. The problems, however, aren’t just in the realm of playcalling. While scheme and tactics are important, it’s equally important to have top talents that stay on the field and play consistently.

Every NFL team contends with injuries, but it would be a lie to say that every player is injured at the same rate. Some teams manage injury risk better than others, and the Giants appear to have built their offense on a house of cards that depends on specific players defying trends and staying healthy.

At times, the offense has even been lackluster after getting “offensive weapons” back – even as these players take the field again, they are often out of form and require more time before they can play to their potential.

This is undoubtedly an issue of roster construction. And when the team owners review Dave Gettleman’s performance this offseason and decide whether to keep him, the injury problems faced by the team right now should definitely be one o the topics brought up.

New York Giants offense should get a full force of weapons back on Monday

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kadarius toney, giants

The New York Giants have a crucial Monday night matchup coming up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 3-6 Giants are beginning to turn their season around after a painfully slow start to kick off the year. Miscues, poor execution, and an abundance of injuries have held the Giants back this season. Thankfully, entering this primetime Week 11 matchup, the Giants’ offense is set to get a full force of weapons back in the lineup.

Players returning to the lineup

Wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney were NOT LISTED on today’s injury report. This is significant because these two have been appearing on the injured list consistently this season. Golladay missed time with a knee injury. Toney missed a game with an ankle injury and also dealt with a thumb injury. Entering Week 11, both of these playmakers are healthy and ready to go for the Giants. The Giants’ passing attack is receiving a couple of huge boosts.

The New York Giants’ biggest and most explosive playmaker might make his return to the lineup on Monday night. Yes, Saquon Barkley, looks set to return. Barkley has been OUT since Week 5 after suffering an ankle injury versus the Cowboys. But he is now listed as QUESTIONABLE for Monday night and there seems to be a strong possibility he will be good to go.

Andrew Thomas is not listed on the injury report because of his injured reserve designation. However, there seems to be a real chance that the second-year left tackle gets back in the lineup on Monday. Thomas would likely be listed as questionable if he could be placed on the injury report. Andrew Thomas was placed on injured reserve after Week 6 with a leg injury. The Giants have absolutely felt Andrew’s absence and are eager to get him back in the lineup. According to reporters, Andrew Thomas is indeed trending toward playing on Monday night.

While he has not missed a game due to injury, running back Devontae Booker is hobbled and placed on the injury list. Booker suffered a hip injury in the Giants’ Week 9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Despite being injured, Booker totaled 99 rushing yards and propelled the Giants’ offense to victory. Coming off the bye week, Booker is listed as QUESTIONABLE with this hip injury. Booker and Barkley are both questionable to play, but both seem destined to see the field in some capacity this week.

Who will miss Monday night?

Wide receiver Sterling Shepard has already been ruled OUT for Monday night with a quad injury. Shepard’s season was off to a fiery hot start before it was derailed by injuries. Shep suffered this quad injury in Week 8 and has been sidelined ever since. The Giants have not placed the receiver on injured reserve, so they must be hopeful that Sterling can make a return soon. However, Sterling Shepard will not return this week to play the Buccaneers.

New York Giants head into Tampa Bay game as 10.5 point underdogs

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

The New York Giants exit their bye week with a Monday Night Football matchup against the Bucs, and predictably, Tampa has the advantage in the odds. The advantage for Tampa Bay has been set at -10.5 points (-110) and the over/under at 49.5 according to BetMGM.

It’s not surprising, of course. While the Giants are coming off a win and the Buccaneers are coming off a pair of back to back losses, Tampa is still one of the most talented teams in the league and one of the toughest names on the schedule for the Giants. And those back to back losses might make things harder on the Giants – they have to deal with a motivated Tom Brady, after all.

But there’s also reason to believe the Giants won’t settle for a blowout here, and that they might even beat the spread or more. That reason is desperation; after wins by rivals in the division, the Giants very much need to keep up their own good form if they want to avoid another season of being out of the hunt early on.

Tampa Bay suffering from injuries

One factor that might make this game closer than some expect is injuries.

Specifically, injuries in the secondary for Tampa Bay might hurt their performance against the Giants passing attack. Cornerback Carlton Davis III has been on the IR since suffering a quad injury in week 4, and CB Richard Sherman is also out following a pre-game injury on Sunday.

Sherman hasn’t been a regular player for the Bucs this season, so the Bucs may not see a big drop in play from his absence in this game. But Sherman’s injury still prevents Tampa from addressing a need at the position, which is why Sherman was signed this season.

And, fortunately for Giants defenders, the Bucs may not have Rob Gronkowski at tight end for this one. Gronkowski was at practice on Wednesday, but was absent the previous week and has been dealing with a rib injury over a number of weeks.

Injuries on the New York Giants side

The Giants do have their own injuries to deal with. However, things are trending in the right direction for some of their important playmakers.

The team has designated left tackle Andrew Thomas to return from IR, which is a big step for the offensive line. Thomas has become a key part of that line this season and his presence on the field would go a long way in making Daniel Jones more comfortable in the passing game. But right now, it’s not clear when Thomas will actually return to the field.

More likely is the return of Saquon Barkley, who has taken part in drills this week and seems to have a more optimistic timeline towards coming back.

Will the Giants beat the spread?

Let’s be completely honest here: the Giants are overmatched against the defending Super Bowl champs. Having to take on a motivated Tom Brady is also not a good spot to be in. And it doesn’t help that Daniel Jones is winless in primetime games.

However, the Giants have reasons of their own to be strongly motivated for this one. They’re also 5-4 against the spread this season. Generally, even when they haven’t won, the Giants have found a way to stay in the game and have exceeded Vegas’ expectations more often than not. The Bucs, on the other hand, are 3-6 against the spread.

It’s hard to project the Giants winning this one outright, based on the overall circumstances as well as Daniel Jones’ performance against Tampa last year. He had two touchdowns offset by two interceptions, and had his fifth worse quarterback rating of the season.

But Tampa isn’t quite as dominant right now as they were last year, and the Giants definitely have a chance to play up to the competition and stay in this one towards the end.

Prediction: Tampa Bay 28-24 New York, Bucs win outright but Giants cover the 10.5 point spread

New York Giants: Saquon Barkley seems to be close to a return

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley

The New York Giants have been without their star running back Saquon Barkley since Week Five. In the first quarter of the Giants’ fifth game of the season, Barkley suffered an ankle sprain that has kept him sidelined for five weeks. The Giants are on a bye this week preparing for a Monday night matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Seemingly, Saquon Barkley has a good chance to return for this game.

Saquon Barkley’s career has been derailed by injuries through three seasons. After tearing his ACL in 2020, Saquon bounced back and started as the Giants’ running back in Week One of this season. Again, though, the Giants running back suffered an injury that has kept him sidelined for over a month. Saquon’s stay on the side might soon come to an end, though.

According to reporters, Saquon Barkley looks like he is close to making a return. Barkley looked “explosive and comfortable” doing drills in practice today.

Saquon Barkley’s participation in practice was highlighted by other Giants players’ lack of participation. Left tackle Andrew Thomas worked on the side with trainers today while Saquon practiced and impressed the coaches and media.

Saquon Barkley’s impact upon return

It seems like, barring any setbacks, Saquon Barkley will return to the Giants’ starting lineup on Monday night. The Giants’ 2018 first-round pick is known to be one of the most explosive playmakers in the NFL when healthy. Getting Barkley back on the field would provide a huge boost to the Giants’ middling offense.

Devontae Booker has been playing well in place of Saquon Barkley. Last week, the Giants’ backup totaled 99 rushing yards in the team’s upset victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Considering Saquon is returning from a significant injury, in addition to the fact that Devontae Booker has been running the ball well, the Giants could roll into Monday night with a split backfield. Saquon is electric with the ball in his hands, but Booker has done a good job churning out ugly yards on the ground. The two could form a nice fire and ice duo in the backfield to finish the season for New York.

New York Giants trio misses practice due to COVID protocol

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New York Giants, Saquon Barkley

The New York Giants haven’t caught a break this season, and fortune isn’t going any easier on them right now. The latest problem for the team is COVID-19, which has already ruled running backs coach Burton Burns out for the next game. However, it doesn’t look like this is an isolated matter.

The Giants had three players listed as not practicing due to the league’s COVID protocol according to their latest injury report: Saquon Barkley, Matt Skura, and Xavier McKinney. This could potentially rule out all three players for Sunday, as the protocol requires two negative tests within a 24-hour span and no symptoms for a player to return.

Barkley is in the protocol after a positive test. However, there is some margin of error in these tests and there is a chance that the running back could return soon if the subsequent tests show that the original result was a false positive.

Still, there’s no guarantee the Giants would have Barkley active on Sunday even if this situation hadn’t happened. Barkley is still dealing with an existing ankle injury situation. He hasn’t played since the Dallas game in week 5, and the staff seem in no mood to rush him back.

The more important player listed here might be Xavier McKinney. He’s played in the vast majority of the team’s defensive snaps this year, and the safety position is thinner than before thanks to Jabrill Peppers’ season ending injury.

These three players were only one part of a larger group that didn’t participate in practice on Wednesday. Lorenzo Carter, Nate Ebner, Kenny Golladay, Dante Pettis, and Sterling Shepard also sat out.

New York Giants: Barkley and 3 receivers worked with trainers at practice

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New York Giants, Saquon Barkley

The New York Giants are seemingly doomed to suffer from injuries this season. That’s the case for every team to some extent, but Big Blue has been hit especially bad in 2021.

Multiple offensive stars missed the victory against Carolina, but those players are making progress towards returning.

Those players are running back Saquon Barkley and receivers Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard and Kenny Golladay. Toney and Shepard both played in the Rams game but missed week 7, while Barkley and Golladay have been out since the Dallas loss.

While they haven’t returned to full speed in practice, it’s encouraging that they’re doing something at all.

Barkley and those three wide receivers were seen working out with trainers to the side of the main practice.

Will the New York Giants have more weapons vs Kansas City?

According to Jordan Raanan, it’s a toss-up as for whether or not we see any of these players against Kansas City.

The game is on Monday Night Football, so the Giants do benefit from an extra day of rest. On the other hand, though, none of the players in the running for a comeback are particularly far ahead in their recovery right now.

There will definitely be some pressure for the Giants to have their best players on the field when they take on Kansas City, one of the top teams in the AFC on paper.

Arguably, the Chiefs having a down year means this is one of the games the Giants have the best chance of achieving an upset victory.

Still, the Giants are a 2-5 team themselves. Even if momentum is trending upwards after their week 7 win, don’t expect them to take too many risks with their important talents for the future such as Barkley and Toney.

And a cautious approach may be for the better. Some would argue that we’ve already seen the Giants field players such as Barkley without them being one hundred percent this season, and the results haven’t been great.

New York Giants: Steve Smith calls for increasing Saquon Barkley’s role

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New York Giants, Saquon Barkley

The New York Giants running game hasn’t been anything special this season so far. Saquon Barkley made it back by week 1, but it still remains to be seen if his knee is strong enough to keep up with the NFL game after a long recovery process.

After the first two games, Barkley’s numbers have been anything but impressive. He rushed for 57 yards in the Thursday Night Football loss, but the majority of those yards came on a single big run for 41 yards at once. Outside of that run, Barkley didn’t look like the generational prospect the Giants expected from his college tape and healthy rookie season.

With that being said, not everyone blames Barkley himself for his struggles. The Giants have been cautious in utilizing him, and many have accused the coaching staff of not giving him enough touches or being creative enough in getting him the ball. Those critics include former Panthers receiver Steve Smith, who believes the Giants need to put the ball in Barkley’s hands more before a judgement can be made about his explosiveness.

“We will never find out if Saquon Barkley is getting his explosiveness back if all you are doing is sitting back and throwing the ball,” Smith told the New York Post.

“They didn’t do a good job of getting him in rhythm — and this is a wide receiver talking about getting the running game going. It really limited to see how much explosiveness he had or didn’t have. When you drop and throw the ball as much as they are trying to do, it makes things very difficult to judge.”

Should the Giants use Barkley more?

It looks like the Giants might be taking a cautious approach with Barkley to protect him from the risk of reinjury.

However, the current strategy hasn’t done much to inspire confidence in the running game. A common point brought up about the loss to Washington is that the Giants could have ran the clock out while they had a lead, if they were more confident in their ability to move the ball on the ground.

If the Giants really want to get the expected value out of Barkley, they’ll have to get the ball in his hands more. It’s unknown whether having more touches would improve the running back’s numbers. But with the team 0-2 and public sentiment at a low point, the Giants don’t have very much to lose from trying it out.

After all, focusing on the passing attack just hasn’t worked out two weeks in. Even after having what may be his best game, Daniel Jones was unable to lead the Giants to victory on his own after the running game failed to make much happen.