Saquon Barkley makes major step towards NY Giants return

NY Giants running back Saquon Barkley is expected to be activated from PUP list and get back on the practice field this week 

He’s back.

Saquon Barkley is expected to be activated from the PUP list, and return to the practice field for the NY Giants this week, a source confirms to FanSided.

The New York Post was first to report that Barkley will be back on the field this week, for the first time following a torn ACL.

Barkley had been working on the side with members of the training staff through the first two weeks of training camp, ramping up his running and cutting in recent days, but getting back on the field with his teammates is a significant step towards returning from his injury suffered Week 2 of last season.

"“This guy’s showing progress, tangible progress every day with our medical staff, NY Giants coach Joe Judge said last week. “With our strength staff. He comes out here and works. Right now, we’ve really mirrored his rehab to what our players are doing on the field practice-wise to make sure that he’s building up that same volume, that same intensity. We can kind of go apples to apples with what he’s done on a daily basis compared to the players that are in practice to give us a better picture in terms of where he is physically.”"

The NY Giants have taken a cautious approach to Barkley’s rehab, opening him up on the PUP list to begin training camp, with Judge several times maintaining that the organization would be primarily focused on keeping the star running back on the field once he’s able to return.

“Whenever we get him out there,” Judge told FanSided during a recent wide-ranging phone conversation. “We’ll know that he’s ready to go, and that he will be a strength for our team.”

It would seem that time is now.

Matt Lombardo is FanSided’s National NFL Insider and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday. Email Matt: Matt.Lombardo@FanSided.com