It seems that New York Giants halfback Saquon Barkley’s hamstring tweak is causing a roster ripple effect.
At this point, it may be that the New York Giants are being more than “smart” with Barkley. He may have suffered an actual injury. Last time the team encountered a hamstring injury of this magnitude was Odell Beckham’s rookie season. Back then, Beckham missed the first four regular season games with a hamstring pull he sustained early in training camp.
Pointing this out isn’t alarmist, at least not yet, but rather let’s note that hamstring injuries are tricky. Let’s be honest, at this point, it’s about Barkley’s recovery, and not being “smart” with him. Smart denotes that the team will keep him out of harm’s way. Smart doesn’t mean he has an actual injury and now needs recovery time.
It’s one thing keeping Barkley out of game action to avoid injury, it’s another thing for him not to be even able to practice in pads. As noted by ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Barkley still didn’t practice on Tuesday, so there’s a bit of a misdirection by the team by using the term “smart”.
And with rookie Jalen Simmons suffering a concussion against the Detroit Lions, the running back ranks quickly thinned out. There was no need to bring in Adrian Peterson, or even Orleans Darkwa, at least not yet, instead the G-Men called upon someone head coach Pat Shurmur had coached before – Jhurell Pressley.
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Per the team’s official website:
"“Pressley 5-10 and 205 pounds, has not played in a regular-season game. He entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in 2016, when Shurmur was on the coaching staff. Pressley was waived at the end of training camp and signed with Green Bay. He was on the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad from Oct. 25, 2016 to the end of the season.”"
Sorry folks, as good as Saquon Barkley is and will be, he can still benefit from game repetitions. To think that one 39-yard scamper signifies mission accomplished is folly. Against the New York Jets, it now behooves Shurmur to get veteran Jonathan Stewart some work with the first team, just in case.
According to NFL.com, Stewart has had seven rushing attempts for two yards in the first two preseason games. Running back colleague Wayne Gallman has had eight rushing attempts and has caught six passes from the halfback position.
Reinforcements Summoned
On Monday, the New York Giants also inked Warren Long, who is categorized as a linebacker, but has spent NFL time as a running back too. Don’t be surprised to see Long working out of the backfield in a pinch. In terms of Pressley, he had one major attribute going for him, familiarity with Shurmur’s offense.
Reading the tea leaves, that may mean that Pressley becomes the equivalent of an “innings eater” at the running back position.
Let’s be frank, the more time Saquon Barkley misses, the less likely he can assume a full work load against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the season opener. If he sits out three preseason games, do you really think the smart play would be to give him 25 carries in his first game back?
We all know what Wayne Gallman can do, now hopefully Pat Shurmur does too (game film is an option, Pat), and his workload needs to be lightened. Rutgers product Robert Martin remains a contender for the 53-man roster, so let’s not wear him out either. And sure, Shane Smith can get a few more repetitions, but remember he’s a fullback.
According to Giants.com, Shumur acknowledged the expediency was critical point in bring in Pressley:
"“I was with [Pressley] before, good runner, fast, tough guy. We brought him in, he’s got some familiarity with what we do offensively, and we’ll get him in the mix.”"
Deciding on Barkley’s appropriate game status will be the first major test for Shurmur. If the dynamic rookie cannot play against the New York Jets, does Shurmur play him, if available, versus the New England Patriots? Starters usually sit out the last game of the preseason, and playing Barkley would obviously be contingent on him being 100 percent healthy. Figuring out the Rubik’s Cube of running backs clearly will test Shurmur early in his Giants tenure.