The reality of New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley is simple, he’s already one of, if not the best back in the league after just one season.
His rookie campaign saw him collect over 2,000 All-Purpose yards and win the Rookie of the Year accolade. The quality he brings to the field is something rarely seen at the NFL level, but what impresses me the most is his ability to hide deficiencies on the offense.
Barkley successfully compensated for not only a bad offensive line, but the struggles of quarterback Eli Manning. In addition to his 261 rushing attempts, he caught 91 receptions on 121 targets. To put that into perspective, he earned 14 more receptions than Manning’s former top target, Odell Beckham Jr.
So, that can only result in one thing — not only his Saquon the Giants’ best running back, but he’s also their best receiver. His catch-rate of 75.2 percent led the team, and it put his influence on display.
Why Saquon Barkley will be even better for the New York Giants in 2019:
The Giants and general manager Dave Gettleman spent a ton of resources rebuilding the offensive line. Bringing in Nate Solder, Kevin Zeitler, Will Hernandez, and Mike Remmers should not only provide Manning with more time in the pocket but open significantly more holes for Barkley.
When the Giants picked up waived right guard Jamon Brown from the Los Angeles Rams, the offense took a major leap in efficiency and quality. Barkley benefitted tremendously from the improvement, and it’s only going to get better with Zeitler taking over for Brown, a top-six guard in the league.
Production-wise, Barkley has the potential to earn well over 2,000 All-Purpose yards — I’m predicting 1,500 rushing and 900 receiving yards. The young scat-back turned dynamic rusher has the potential to be the league MVP in 2019 – he has an 80-1 shot of winning the title, not the most encouraging probability, but not bad for a running back nonetheless. The last non-quarterback to win the MVP award was Adrian Peterson back in 2012.
I anticipate the Giants utilizing their best player even more frequently than Odell Beckham Jr., simply due to his dual-threat versatility.