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3 things New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley needs to improve this offseason

By John Makuch

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 19: Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants runs the ball during the third quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on December 19, 2021 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 19: Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants runs the ball during the third quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on December 19, 2021 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports) /

1. Confidence

Confidence is the most important aspect of any athlete, no matter the level of the sport.

Without belief in yourself, the game becomes even more difficult than it already is, and this has been the case for Barkley.

It is impossible to blame him for the lack of confidence considering the vast amounts of rehab he has gone through with his knee injury and his newer ankle injury.

When an athlete is constantly going through rehab, treatment, and other things while trying to get back onto the field, it can greatly disrupt a player’s flow.

This is a huge reason why Andrew Luck retired, dealing with the process of recovering from an injury makes football not as fun as it used to be, and it can be mentally draining for a player.

To ask a player to not get injured is entirely unrealistic, and sometimes players are just unlucky when it comes to the injury bug, so this improvement is a bit luck-based.

However, it is up to Barkley whether or not to continue to bounce back from these injuries, and he has done so all throughout his career.

If Barkley can play a full and healthy season, he will be a problem for the entire league to deal with, and his confidence will go through the roof.

It was a bit too early to jump the gun and compare Barkley’s return to that of an Adrian Peterson, Barkley’s journey is different, and will be at a different pace than other players that came before him.

He could have had a year similar to that 2019 year at least, but unfortunately, his midseason injury disrupted his hopeful campaign.

Without the nagging ankle injury, maybe he would have seen better outings this season, but the fact is that he is struggling with an injury bug, and hopefully for him, he dodges that soon enough.

As for the 2022 season, the expectation should be higher than that of his performance of 2021, and the New York Giants will need to put a better roster around him in the offseason.

Barkley will be much closer to his former self if he can remain healthy, and if that is the case, Giants fans have a lot to be hopeful for.

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