The NY Giants have now held a number of camps and practices with their revamped roster, signifying the official start of the Joe Schoen era. On a team that has lacked big-name players for some time, there is one returning talent who will continue to have the eyes of Giants nation on him – Saquon Barkley.
It has been a lean couple of years for Barkley, with injuries and a dysfunctional Giants offense materially impacting the star running back’s potential to shine. It has resulted in criticism from both fans and media alike, with Barkley failing to provide the production expected from a second overall draft pick. There is at least one person out there who is tired of all the negative comments – Barkley himself.
Saquon Barkley on his mindset: “I just want to kill … go crazy.” Says he is tired of some of the “BS” written about him.” pic.twitter.com/9dHeXBrIIp
— Paul Schwartz (@NYPost_Schwartz) April 20, 2022
With the star running back clearly fired up by the negative attention, as well as likely finally having an off-season free from injury, what exactly could a bounce-back year for Barkley look like – and what would this mean for the New York Giants? Let’s first take a look at a couple of reasons 2022 will be the year Barkley is back to his best.
Year 2 after an ACL tear
Barkley tore his ACL in Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season. It saw him miss the remainder of that year, as well as a significant time in the offseason leading up to 2021. There is reason to be optimistic, however, that 2022 will be the year he finally returns to the form he showed prior to the injury. In decades gone by, an ACL tear likely represented a career-ending or at least altering injury. With the advances in modern medicine and sports science, that is no longer the case.
Barkley will be looking to follow in the footsteps of many NFL stars who have torn their ACL and returned to action. The likes of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski should provide optimism that a return to success in the NFL is possible for Barkley.
The most motivation for the star running back, however, will be that of Adrian Peterson. After tearing his ACL in the 2011 season, Peterson returned in 2012 to post a career-high 2,097 rushing yards on his way to the 2012 MVP award. That’s not the only reason Barkley could bounce back.
Improved NY Giants offensive line
Running back is a position which relies on other pieces of the offense to see sustained success, in particular the offensive line. You can have the most talented back in the world, but if the defense is already in the backfield by the time he touches the ball, there’s not much he can do – a sentence that sums up Barkley’s last two seasons in New York.
According to NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football”, since 2020., Barkley has had the highest percentage of runs that ended in zero or negative yards. A statistic which is attributed to the running back but is equally, if not more, a reflection on poor blocking up front. The Giants’ line isn’t all of a sudden world-beating of course, but it has certainly been a point of emphasis this offseason.
Schoen invested his limited free agency capital in players such as Mark Glowinski and Jon Feliciano as well as the unit being a clear target over the draft weekend. Blue-chip right tackle Evan Neal was selected on Day , as well as later-round pieces who should act as depth pieces in 2022 and beyond. While it is yet to be seen just how much better this unit is, it is fair to assume it will be a significant upgrade over the 2021 line Barkley played behind under Jason Garrett.
NY Giants Play-calling
We don’t need to spend too much time talking about how ineffective the Giants’ offense was under Garrett. If you are reading this, you likely watched at least one New York game over the last year, something I’m sure was not very entertaining from an offensive perspective. There is now reason to be optimistic, however.
In 2021, Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka, in Buffalo and Kansas City respectively, were both key parts of offenses which finished within the Top 5 in the league in total yards. In comparison, New York finished 31st in the league for the same category, only returning more yards than the Houston Texans. A healthy Barkley, in a system which promises to be far more creative and entertaining than under the previous regime, brings reason for optimism surrounding the talented back’s future in New York.
What does a bounce back mean for the Giants?
The most obvious answer is an increase in production on the ground. The Giants averaged under 100 rushing yards per game in 2021, with Barkley finishing joint-top rusher with since released Devontae Booker (593 rushing yards). In comparison, the pair combined for fewer yards than Barkley rushed for alone in his 2018 rookie season.
With a seemingly healthy and motivated Barkley, as well as the personnel and scheme changes mentioned earlier, there is reason to believe he should see over 1,000 yards on the ground once again. Perhaps the most alarming rushing statistic for the Giants in 2021, however, was their inability to score on the ground.
The G-Men finished with an equal league-low eight rushing touchdowns on the season. To compare again to Barkley’s rookie season, he scored 11 touchdowns on the ground himself, adding a further four through the air.
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.
New Contract for Saquon Barkley?
While the implications above of a bounce-back for Barkley are overwhelmingly positive, there is one potential headache it may cause. The now fifth-year running back will be playing 2022 on his fifth-year option after it was picked up in 2021 by the previous regime. At this stage, it would be fair to assume a big contract extension is not in the cards for Barkley, with the previous two seasons representing a warning sign for Schoen and the front office.
A big 2022 for Barkley complicates the matter completely, however. A bounce-back would see Barkley have contributed at a top level in three of his five seasons in the league, and would also suggest he has completely moved on from his ACL injury in 2020. Complicating the matter further, the decision to sign a running back to a big second contract has rarely proven worthwhile for teams in recent years.
With the Giants in the first year of what could be a long rebuild, signing a running back to a big second contract ahead of 2023 may not be the most effective use of resources in New York. At the end of the day, a dominant Barkley in 2022 is a headache the Giants front office would likely be willing to accept in return for the production and excitement the 25-year-old can bring to East Rutherford.
Final thoughts on Saquon Barkley
While it is certainly interesting to speculate over the long-term implications of a successful 2022 for Barkley, it is likely not at the top of the Giants’ thoughts heading into the season. Having been one of the least exciting offenses in the league for some time now, all parties are likely laser-focused on how the fifth-year back can contribute to this team in 2022.
One thing is for certain – Barkley has shown he can be one of the league’s best running backs when he is in form. If he can prove this once again in 2022, he becomes one of, if not the most, important pieces of this NY Giants offense under the new regime in East Rutherford.