Saquon Barkley set to return to team drills for New York Giants

Running back Saquon Barkley appears to be making positive strides on his return to the New York Giants. As he continues to rehab his torn ACL, questions have surrounded Barkley’s potential availability to begin the season. This week will be a big one for Barkley and his potential return.

Barkley is ready to join team drills this week

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that Barkley is expected to return to team drills when the Giants and Patriots hold joint practices this week. It is unclear how much of a role Barkley will have right away in these drills, but him being able to return is a very positive development for the Giants.

From our pregame @NFLTotalAccess: The #Giants will look for a big step forward for RB Saquon Barkley, as he's set to take part in team drills next week during joint practices with the #Patriots. pic.twitter.com/tdUm1JF27z

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 22, 2021

“He’s not going to be playing in the preseason game today, but you’re going to see something close next week against the Patriots,” Rapoport said. “I would expect based on what I know now, for Saquon Barkley to get some sort of team reps in the joint practices against New England. That will be a big, big step forward. The reason why is simple. They can trust the Patriots not to do anything bad and essentially put Saquon Barkley and his surgically repaired knee at risk.

“This would be a massive move forward for Saquon. Week one, seeing him on the field when the regular season begins, has not been ruled out. It is still possible, but for that to happen, he’s going to have to continue to impress and continue to take positive steps forward. If he gets on the field against New England, shows that burst and protects himself in those team reps, then maybe week on is a much better possibility than maybe it was a couple of months ago.”

The Giants offense largely relies on Barkley’s health

New York’s offense struggled mightily last season without Barkley. Without Barkley, the team lacked playmakers and was not able to find consistent production from anybody.

After coming to New York as the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Barkley made an instant impact on the Giants. As a rookie, Barkley ran for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging five yards per catch. He also had 721 yards and four touchdowns receiving.

In 2019, Barkley accounted for 1,441 yards and just eight total touchdowns, but he was still a key part of New York’s offense. It appears that Barkley is nearing his return from his torn ACL. Whenever he is able to return to the field, the Giants will get one of the NFL’s top running backs back in their backfield.