The prediction all offseason has been that New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley will be back week one, and it looks like that’s on track. It’s been a while since we’ve gotten to see some hard evidence of Barkley’s progress, but a new video from his Instagram page gives new insight on how his recovery process is going.
In this video, we see Barkley making cuts and running on both grass and sand as well as navigating in tight spaces. Since this is the first time in a while we’ve gotten such an update, it should be encouraging to anyone that’s wondering if Barkley will make it back in time for the season.
https://twitter.com/JordanRaanan/status/1407435018922823686
All the reports about Barkley’s recovery since his ACL tear last season have been positive, but despite that, the Giants have taken up an official stance of not rushing back his return. It’s probably for the best, given his importance to the offense, but the team’s stance has largely made it unclear when Barkley is actually set to return.
While week one is the target date, multiple figures associated with the Giants have said that the decision will be up to the team doctors and that there’s no definitive date on Barkley’s return.
The Giants seemingly spent on backup running back Devontae Booker this offseason as well as taking a gamble on former NFC East rival Corey Clement to prepare themselves for a scenario where Barkley isn’t at full strength coming into the season.
But based on what we’re seeing from Barkley right now, there might not be a need for those players to feature in a big way in week one.