Saquon Barkley's preseason last year during his rookie season was cut short after the New York Giants took precaution following a hamstring injury to their prized rusher.

This year, though, Pat Shurmur has remained silent on whether or not Barkley will see the field during the preseason.

Via ProFootballTalk:

“He’s a valuable player, so we’ll just have to see as time goes on if he’s going to play in these games,” Shurmur said, via the team’s website. “I gave you a clue on the quarterbacks this week. I’ll let that reveal itself. . . . I just want to be smart. I want to do what’s best. I think as we go through it, you see the good work he’s getting in practice. We just want to continue to do that.”

Shurmur likely would not pass as the Riddler in a Batman movie but he is doing a decent job of being vague. The Giants head coach realized that he has to be cautious with his star running back in meaningless games.

Last week, Shurmur held Barkley out of the Giants' preseason opener against the New York Jets. The second-year phenom watched the game from the sidelines in street clothes.

In 2018, with just one preseason game under his belt, Barkley led the NFL with 2,028 yards from scrimmage. Barkley led all rookies with 91 receptions and was given 352 touches on his way to winning the NFL's prestigious Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Coming into this season, Barkley may see a heftier workload with the trade of Odell Beckham Jr. in the offseason. Additionally, injuries and suspensions to Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate, respectively, could increase his usage.

Therefore, the Giants would be wise to give Barkley some rest in the preseason to ready him for what is ahead of him. In reality, we may witness Barkley surpass 400 touches in 2019 with the lack of skill players around him.