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The New York Giants and specifically general manager Joe Schoen have caught a lot of flack for letting running back Saquon Barkley walk to the division rival Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, and current players like Tommy DeVito, Daniel Bellinger and Dane Belton each spoke on how the loss of Barkley impacted the locker room.
“Definitely a ton. I think they understood it but maybe just didn't cherish it enough because we had two of them leave — [Barkley and wide receiver Sterling Shepard],” Tommy DeVito said, via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.. “Two guys that were among the most vocal leaders on the offense, guys that have played a ton. Those two guys meant a tremendous amount, but obviously Saquon is my guy. He kind of helped bring me into this whole role and how everything went down. He was kind of my rock through it all. To see him go and how it went down, it was tough. Obviously, it's a business as well.”
DeVito led the Giants to three wins last season, and Barkley was someone that he leaned on in that stretch. It is also notable that he mentioned Sterling Shepard, who was a veteran wide receiver and longest-tenured Giant at the time. DeVito was not the only one to say that the biggest impact of losing Barkley was in teh locker room, rather than on the field.
“For me the biggest part of losing Saquon was the locker room aspect,” Daniel Bellinger said, via Raanan. “Just having him as a leader and a guy that when there were times like, what do we do, he would be like, ‘Go play!' … He brought an energy that sometimes we needed out there.”
It was well-known that Barkley was a positive locker room presence for the Giants, and Bellinger's words indicate that he helped keep the team up when it was down. There were a lot of down times for the Giants during Barkley's tenure. Safety Dane Belton also echoed the sentiments on the loss of Barkley.
“The whole locker room,” Dane Belton said, via Raanan. “It wasn't just the offense as far as the leadership perspective. You definitely lose that. And you look at the team, we're super young. To that, it can't help to lose a great leader like that. Definitely think it was a tough loss.”
The Giants currently sit at 3-13 overall and will finish their 2024 season against the Eagles on Sunday. Barkley will not play, despite Eric Dickerson's rushing record being in reach. The Eagles are locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC and are prioritizing health for the playoffs.
For the Giants, uncertainty looms for Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll after a very rough season.
