New York Giants: 5 possible replacements for Saquon Barkley

TAMPA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 22: Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants looks on after injuring his ankle during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 22: Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants looks on after injuring his ankle during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

1. Jay Ajayi

Expect former Miami Dolphins star Jay Ajayi to be a popular name brought up to replace Saquon, as the 26-year-old, former Pro Bowler is likely still only on the street due to his ACL injury last season. Ajayi was cleared to return in late July, but by that point most teams were more-than comfortable with their runningback situation.

There haven’t been many legitimate rumors about Ajayi signing anywhere since he was cleared, so I’m going to assume he’s anxious to take any offer he can get at this point. As we’ve seen in the past – especially with the runningback position- sitting out an entire year (unless you’re Le’Veon Bell, although that was a different situation) can be the kiss-of-death in terms of continuing your NFL career.

Ajayi stands six-feet tall, weighing in at 228 pounds and has long powerful strides, making him a dangerous open-field runner. The former Boise State Bronco set the league on fire in 2016, when he recorded 1272 rushing yards in only 12 starts. Ajayi eclipsed the 200-yard mark a dazzling three times in the season, even recording back-to-back 200-yard games at one point.