Saquon Barkley’s departure from the New York Giants appears imminent.
Barkley’s chronicled free agency began with his ties to the Los Angeles Chargers. The former Pro Bowler then followed several Houston Texans players on Instagram, indicating his interest in the AFC South franchise.
Now, Barkley could find himself on another AFC team behind an MVP quarterback.
Giants: One analyst sees Saquon Barkley as a perfect match for the Baltimore Ravens
NFL.com’s Nick Shook sees the Baltimore Ravens as having a need for a superstar rusher. Shook justified the potential for a fruitful pairing by saying:
“The problem, though, is running backs don’t get paid much these days, and Barkley will likely only fetch a two or three-year deal. This is all setting up for a perfect scenario for him to join a contender that doesn’t have a ton of cap space. GM Eric DeCosta and the Ravens will look to sign a veteran back this offseason, and although bringing back Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins is on the table, Barkley sure feels like a good fit,” Shook noted.
The Ravens’ interest in adding a ball carrier sets the stage for a potential Barkley pursuit.
READ MORE: Could the Giants land this NFL Combine superstar in the 2nd round of the draft?
Can Barkley and Lamar Jackson share carries in the run game?
Reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson has led the Ravens in rushing for the last five seasons. Even when Mark Ingram rushed for 1,018 yards in 2019, Jackson one-upped him with 1,206 of his own ground yardage.
Should the improbable scenario get legs in the near future, a major question would be how Barkley and the Louisville product would coexist in the backfield. Baltimore’s running backs have sparingly seen an excess of 150 carries in a season during Jackson’s tenure. Edwards’ 198 attempts within the last four years were a bit of an outlier.
Even with that, Barkley is accustomed to being fed over 200 hand-offs per season in his Giants career. It remains to be seen how receptive Barkley would be to sacrificing his personal output for a chance at a Super Bowl.