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Saquon Barkley opens up about returning to form, trusting his body

On3 imageby:Sam Gillenwater06/09/22

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Andy Lewis | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.

Giants running back Saquon Barkley made his name on dynamic plays for a runner his size. Whether it was at Penn State or in MetLife Stadium for New York, he was able to break out for highlight reel runs to the endzone. That hasn’t been nearly as frequent the last three seasons, though.

Barkley has dealt with multiple injuries since winning AP Offense Rookie of the Year in his debut season. An ACL tear was the most prominent as it kept him out of all but two games in 2020. With these setbacks hopefully behind him, Barkley is now at a point where he can trust his body again.

“The biggest difference would just be you had to go through a little bit the past couple years. It just helped mold me, shape me to be the player I am right now and just coming into this camp,” he said. “Focusing on my body, working on my body, doing all the little things necessary to keep my body healthy. When you’ve got that, when you can trust your body, your confidence just grows. I was a way more confident player in college and early in my career than I was prior to the last (few) years. Now, I’m starting to get that swagger back.”

In his first year, Barkley totaled 2,028 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns. He’s put together just 2,391 total yards and 12 touchdowns since then. The injuries have had a real impact on the early parts of Barkley’s career. Heading into this season with the Giants, though, he says it’s the best he’s felt in some time. He just needs to believe in his work from his rehabs.

“I feel a lot better than I felt at this point last year. I was rehabbing. My body feels good. My body feels strong. Feel like I got my strength back, like I got my speed back, like I can trust my knee again,” he said. “Just to make plays and not think about it. Even when you feel like you trust yourself, like actually going back and watching film, it correlates with how you feel and what you’re actually seeing, putting out there on the field.”

Barkley is a cornerstone for a franchise that’s gone 19-46 since drafting him second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. They’ll need him both on the field and producing if they want to get back in the win column. In need of a rebound during his contract year, Barkley plans to do just that this season.