After failing to come to terms with the New York Giants on a new contract, star running back Saquon Barkley isn’t with the team as training camp starts to open up, and the big question is when, or if, he will rejoin his mates.
Without him, the Giants will be in a world of trouble, as he is their biggest offensive threat by far.
Analyst Jason McIntyre went as far as to predict that they will start the season 1-5 without the two-time Pro Bowler.
“There’s a real chance they open the season 1-5… We are shaping up to have a fractured locker room in New York.”
— @jasonrmcintyre on Saquon Barkley situation pic.twitter.com/YH2iOAESUr
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) July 24, 2023
The Giants were one of the NFL’s biggest surprises last season, as they won six of their first seven games, then upset the 13-4 Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
They did so not in beautiful fashion but by grinding it out and becoming greater than the sum of their parts.
New York has a noticeable lack of viable playmakers at the wide receiver position — their most productive wideout in 2022 was Darius Slayton, who had a relatively modest 724 yards.
Therefore, Barkley was responsible for a disproportionate amount of their offense in 2022.
He had a stellar season after three years of being hampered by injuries, and he ran for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns, as well as 338 receiving yards.
Barkley is currently on the Giants’ franchise tag, but he reportedly doesn’t want to play this coming season on the tag, which means there is a chance New York could lose him soon.
The market for running backs in general has hit a new low, and both he and his team could end up being casualties of that weak market.
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Giants Star Doubles Down On Support For Saquon Barkley