What a bounce-back year for Saquon Barkley means for the NY Giants
By Toby Grundy
Improved NY Giants Passing game
While an improvement in the running game is the obvious answer, Barkley returning to his best will materially impact the passing game as well. His first two seasons in the league saw him return 721 and 438 receiving yards respectively, adding six touchdowns through the air over the two seasons. In comparison to the 2021 Giants, Barkley’s 2018 numbers would have seen him finish top in receiving yards on the team, 200 yards clear of Kenny Golladay, as well as finish with the most receiving touchdowns of any Giant.
It is clear that at his best, he is one of the league’s most talented receiving backs – again something which this offense has lacked for the past few seasons while he has been injured. In fact, it appears Barkley is going to be a big part of Daboll and Kafka’s plans for the 2022 passing attack in New York alongside Daniel Jones. Jones himself is due for a big year.
Explosive plays
A player with the physical attributes of Barkley represents a big-play threat both on the ground and through the air. In 2021 the NY Giants ranked last in the league in explosive plays on offense. If you watched any of the 17 games last season, that surely wouldn’t be a surprise to you. While much of the blame can be put on Garrett’s uninspiring scheme, the Giants have also just lacked top-end talent with the ability to break open big plays against NFL calibre defenses.
Barkley won’t just walk into a role which sees him back to his explosive best, however. In fact, in 2021 Barkley had the lowest big-play (10+ yard rush, 20+ yard reception) rate of all eligible running backs according to Marcus Mosher.