Saquon Barkley burst onto the NFL stage during his rookie season in 2018, recording 2,028 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns. After that season, the Giants thought that the had found a surefire future Hall of Fame running back. The next three seasons however, have left many wondering if the Giants will be searching for a new running back next offseason.
Barkley has battled injuries and ineffectiveness during the last three campaigns, though much of his ineffectiveness can be attributed to feeble offensive line play. Barkley has played in only 28 out of the 49 games the last three season while recording just 2,391 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns.
With his contract expiring at the end of the 2022 season, Barkley will have to prove to not only the Giants but the other 31 teams that he can stay healthy and get back to his rookie year form in order to secure a big pay day next March. If training camp is any indication, he looks prime to do just that. Here are the five best Barkley plays from the summer:
5. Barkley’s sick cut
Workin’ on the weekend like usual 😤 pic.twitter.com/kgkknxZx9F
— New York Giants (@Giants) August 7, 2022
This looked like classic Barkley. After getting the handoff from Daniel Jones, Barkley makes an explosive quick cut inside and than bounces to the outside, leaving the defense in his dust as he flies into the end zone.
Barkley finishes the play with his patented leap into the air to cross the goal line, flipping the ball into the air as Adoree’ Jackson can’t catch him fast enough. One underrated aspect of this play is the elite blocking. Undrafted rookie fullback Jeremiah Hall pushes rookie star Kayvon Thibodeaux out of Barkley’s way, creating a major hole for the running back.
If Barkley can get those kind of holes this season, Barkley will be recording more of these kinds of plays. No. 26 has the potential to make opposing defenders look silly countless times this season. Let’s see how electric he can be.