Saquon Barkley inches closer to likely return Sunday for NY Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD - Saquon Barkley was adamant after Friday's practice that, among other things, he did not have any sort of setback in clearing the final hurdle in his return from ACL surgery.

Earlier that morning, Giants coach Joe Judge promised the only thing that would keep Barkley from playing against the Denver Broncos would be a setback.

So, reading between the lines of gamesmanship and final medical evaluations, it's fair to put those two factors together and readily assume that Barkley will be donning his familiar No. 26 and making his comeback to action as the Giants open the season.

The Giants will list Barkley as questionable on the injury report, but that's in part due to the fact that the NFL no longer uses the "probable" designation to describe a player's status on game day. As Giants-Broncos inches closer, though, Barkley and Big Blue are still refusing to give an inch when it comes to officially celebrating his return.

Cornerback Adoree Jackson (ankle) is also questionable, although he is expected to play. Meanwhile, in a stroke of good fortune, the group of playmakers Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney and Kyle Rudolph are not on the injury report, so they should be ready to rock. Evan Engram (calf) is the only Giant declared out for Sunday.

"We had a great practice as a team," Barkley said Friday. "If they feel like it's ready for me to go, I'm ready to go."

Barkley tore the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in his right knee on the first play of the second quarter against the Bears on Sept. 20 in Chicago. Later that night, Barkley had deleted every post on his Instagram account except for one: the post he made on Jan. 26 as a tribute to the late Kobe Bryant.

Barkley drew tremendous inspiration from Bryant, and there was no question he would try to do same now while embarking on what would be a grueling journey.

The previous week, Barkley came under scrutiny - most notably and very publicly from former Giants running back Tiki Barber - for his performance in pass protection in the 2020 opening loss to the Steelers.

Barkley admitted Friday that he was frustrated with how things went in Week 1 (15 carries, 6 yards) and went into the game against the Bears with a different approach - he thought he had something to prove and changed the way he played from a motivation perspective.

"As I look back and think about that, I do think the frustration from Week 1 led me just to go into Week 2 with a different mindset," Barkley said. "That's something that I've talked personally with my family and teammates. The last time I played the game of football, I didn't play it in the right place of heart. It wasn't out of love. It was kinda to show, 'This is who I am,' and I will never let that happen again."

Future Hall of Famer and current free agent running back Adrian Peterson tore his ACL in December 2011 and led the NFL in rushing the following season, eclipsing 2,000 yards rushing in the process. Duplicating what is considered one of the league's greatest feats in recent memory isn't necessarily on the table for Barkley, given the rarity of what Peterson was able to accomplish.

But the Giants are counting on Barkley, as much as Barkley is counting on himself.

“A lot of confidence in him as a player," Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said of Barkley, who, at 24, is three years younger than Peterson was, as he looks to regain his form following ACL reconstruction and meniscus repair. "I think he’s done a great job to get himself back healthy and 100%.”

Barkley's journey to regain his health and with that his game has been a matter of trust.

Trusting his knee. Trusting the doctors and the coaches. Trusting himself.

And when Barkley got a football back in his hands for the first time two weeks ago in Cleveland, he stopped thinking about his knee and put the focus on his game. 

"It hasn't been a challenge [staying patient], just sticking to the game plan," Barkley said. "I knew this was going to be a tough rehab process with what happened to my knee. It wasn't going to be easy to get back. But I made a promise to myself that I'm not going to rush it, I'm gonna be a team player and listen to everyone I'm working with - I'm not the expert in this area. Only thing I can do is attack it full speed, work my butt off to get the best opportunity [for a comeback]."

Art Stapleton is the Giants beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Giants analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and sign up for our NFC East newsletter.  

Email: stapleton@northjersey.com 

Twitter: @art_stapleton