New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley continues to progress in his return from a torn ACL. The Giants star participated in 11-on-11 work on Thursday, representing another step forward in his rehab. While Barkley isn't going to play in the preseason, he's feeling pretty good about where he's at, per PFT's Michael David Smith.
But will Barkley actually be ready to go when New York faces the Denver Broncos in Week 1?
That's still unclear.
Even though Barkley felt good after Thursday's practice work, he still hasn't gone 100% in an actual game yet, so he's not sure how he'll respond to that. The Giants haven't made any determination about his status, and it wouldn't be surprising if this went down to the wire as the regular season begins.
Barkley suffered the devastating knee injury in Week 2 of 2020, dealing New York a huge blow at the very outset of the campaign. The Giants then stumbled to a 6-10 record and failed to make the playoffs despite playing in a woeful NFC East.
The running back is hoping to return and get back to the Pro Bowl form he showed in his dominant rookie season. After he was selected by the Giants with the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Barkley rushed for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns in his debut campaign. He also caught 91 passes for 721 yards and two scores.
Barkley took a slight step back as a sophomore, rushing for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns to go along with 52 catches for 438 yards and two scores. He played in 13 games in Year 2 as opposed to all 16 as a rookie.
New York is expecting Saquon Barkley to be a massive part of the offense in 2021. Whether that begins in Week 1 or soon after remains to be seen.
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