You’ve just got to have a huge amount of respect and admiration for NY Giants running back Saquon Barkley. This poor kid, a former No. 2 overall pick, has gone through hell and more with the G-Men in recent years. His torn ACL was heartbreaking. His poor showing in 2021 had people labeling him as ‘washed’ early on in his career.
So, how did Barkley respond to that? By working his tail off during the offseason to become the best version of himself he could be. Things have paid off for him, as he’s looking like one of the more electric running backs in the game again. On Wednesday night, it was announced that for the first time since his rookie season, Barkley, along with Dexter Lawrence, has been nominated for the Pro Bowl.
YOUR PRO BOWLERS 🥳
— New York Giants (@Giants) December 22, 2022
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NY Giants running back Saquon Barkley is back and better than ever
Not only has Barkley made the NFC Pro Bowl roster, but goodness, this dude also deserves the Comeback Player of the Year award. At this time last season, No. 26 wasn’t cutting it and plenty of Big Blue supporters were frustrated with his play. Let’s not forget that he was running behind arguably the worst offensive line in the league, though.
Fast forward to 2022 and Barkley has been brilliant. Through 14 games, he’s rushed for 1,170 yards and nine touchdowns. Last fall in his 13 games played, he posted 593 yards and only two scores. The difference here for Saquon has been out of this world, which of course brings a smile to Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen’s faces.
It’s completely up in the air if Barkley will be back with the Giants next campaign, but he has made it quite clear on more than one occassion that he’d like to return. In a perfect world, both he and Daniel Jones would play for NY in 2023, but Schoen would need to bring in some offensive help – particurly at wide receiver – during free agency and the NFL Draft.
No matter what happens with Barkley, there’s no denying he’s been fantastic in ’22 and deserves all the glory. This Pro Bowl nod is so great to see for him.
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