The loss of star running back Saquon Barkley is a huge blow for the New York Giants’ offense, especially with wide receiver Sterling Shepard also missing time due to a toe injury.
Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, however, remains confident in the other running backs on the Giants’ depth chart, and believes that they will step up when given a chance.
Garrett added that the loss of Barkley could also give the team an advantage by keep opposing defenses guessing instead of having him as their only focal point, according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano.
It sounds like the Giants will go with a running back by committee now, which does have one advantage, as OC Jason Garrett noted. In the past, defenses could focus everything on Saquon Barkley.
Now? "Maybe now that focal point is not so narrow," Garrett said.
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) September 24, 2020
The 23-year-old Barkley, a Pro Bowler and the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018, was lost for the season after suffering a torn ACL during the second quarter of New York’s 17-13 Week 2 loss to the Chicago Bears. He will undergo surgery to repair the injury, likely ending his 2020 season after just two games.
Garrett, the former coach of the Dallas Cowboys, will likely look to running backs Dion Lewis and Wayne Gallman to get more touches and be more involved in the offense. The addition of Devonta Freeman, who was signed from the Atlanta Falcons, should also give the 54-year-old mentor more talent in his offense. Freeman, 28, was a two-time Pro Bowler with the Falcons in 2015 and 2016, rushing for more than 1,000 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns in each season. Garrett hopes that they close to the same production from Freeman to fill the void left by Barkley.
The Giants play their first game without their star running back when they face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
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