Saquon Barkley calls return to field a 'blessing, milestone'

After almost a year, Saquon Barkley made his much anticipated return to the National Football League. While the performance of the New York Giants left much to be desired, Barkley simply returning to the field was a small victory.

Following the game, the former Penn State star counted his blessings.

“I feel pretty good. It’s not my normal workload,” Barkley said via ProFootballTalk. “Usually, I’d probably have a lot more plays, but that’s all I’m saying. Obviously, we didn’t get the win. We’ve got go back, watch film, address it and get better for next week. 

“But at the end of the day, it’s a blessing that I was able to — it was a milestone for me, I guess that you could say. I put a lot of hard work to be able get to get back on the field and I was able to accomplish that. It just didn’t go the way we would’ve liked. Great thing is there’s 16 more of those things to come.”

Prior to the game, it was reported that the Giants would attempt to ease Barkley back into their lineup in their opening game. That came to fruition, as the star running back was limited to just ten carries and one reception during the game.

With a short week on the horizon, the Giants wanted to ensure Barkley’s availability for a divisional matchup Thursday night in Washington. This week marks Barkley’s return to FedEx Field for the first time since his tremendous performance in 2019.

In a 41-35 Giants’ victory, the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft rushed for 189 yards and a touchdown. Additionally, he caught four passes — accumulating 90 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Barkley’s Teammate: “That is what I wanted to see.”

While Barkley’s performance was a milestone for himself, it also impressed his teammates and coaches. Following the game, wide receiver Sterling Shepard spoke about seeing what he wanted from his teammate.

“Coming off an injury like that, a lot of the stuff is mental,” said Shepard via ESPN. “I didn’t sense he had any mental stuff going on. I felt he hit the hole hard, took some hits. That is what I wanted to see, to be able to bounce back up and keep on pushing.”

Moreover, the former Oklahoma star expects Barkley to improve week by week.

“He’ll gradually keep getting better and better,” Shepard said. “That is his first time out there in a long time. So I’m just proud to see him out there and happy to be out there playing with him again.”

While Shepard had a great game against the Denver Broncos, just about everyone else on the Giants offense didn’t. As Saquon Barkley continues to get reacclimated to the NFL, hopefully he can provide the team’s offense with a spark.