Saquon is back.
Well, not quite back, as in back and in the game, but one week before the Giants once again suit up for real, Saquon Barkley took the field and looked better than he has at any time since this newest issue — a sprained ankle — took the ball out of his hands and eradicated him from an offense that badly needs him.
The franchise running back participated in individual drills Monday as the Giants reconvened coming off their bye-week respite. There was a bounce in his step as Barkley cut and did agility drills, and there is every reason to believe he makes his return when the Giants face the Buccaneers in Tampa on “Monday Night Football.”
“It’s awesome, just to have his presence, even in the huddle,’’ tight end Evan Engram said. “He’s probably our biggest leader, our biggest captain so it’s just good to have him back, I know he’s been itching to get back.”
The update is not as promising for some other players on offense dealing with injuries, as left tackle Andrew Thomas and wide receiver Sterling Shepard were on the side working with trainers as their teammates worked on a windy and chilly afternoon.
The Tampa game is six weeks and one day after Barkley stepped wrong and on the left foot of Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis, rolling his left ankle so badly it swelled up immediately. At the time, the Giants did not put Barkley on injured reserve, believing he had a chance to miss only two games. Saving his roster spot with Barkley on IR would have cost him a minimum of three games. Clearly, this injury lingered longer than expected. Any shot of Barkley returning in Week 9 against the Raiders was dashed when he was a false-positive for COVID-19, costing him precious days of practice while he waited for testing corrections.
Barkley, coming off reconstructive knee surgery that limited him to two games in 2020, was just starting to look like himself with a two-touchdown outing in New Orleans when he went down in Dallas.
“The two injuries are completely unrelated and definitely more of a freak accident,” coach Joe Judge said. “This isn’t something from a guy who’s injury-prone or something of that nature.
“Look, I’m not going to speak for any player, in terms of their mood or whatever, but you know for any player who’s competitive to get out there, it can be tough as you make a lot of strides to get back and then feel that you’re uninvolved for a little while. For us, it’s been keeping him involved mentally, physically trying to get him back out there on the field.”
Judge said Barkley has served a valuable purpose during the long stretch when he has been on the mend and not in the playing rotation.
“He’s done a great job as far as leadership, staying active as a captain on the team, active in captains’ meetings,’’ Judge said. “Gives a lot of great insight to what’s going on in the locker room for me, a lot of pertinent feedback that I need.’’
While Barkley appears to be a step ahead of Shepard and Thomas, the real tests for these oft-battered players to pass arrive later in the week. With an extra day to prepare before the matchup with the suddenly struggling Buccaneers, the Giants will practice Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday before traveling to Tampa on Sunday. That made the light work Monday, as the Giants reconvened after a four-day bye break, a bonus day on the field.
Shepard’s season has been start-stop-start-stop. He played in the first three games, strained a hamstring and missed Week 4 and Week 5, returned to face the Rams in Week 6 but the hamstring acted up again and he was out Week 7. Shepard played at Kansas City in Week 8 but left with a quad injury that kept him out of the Week 9 victory over the Raiders. Though Shepard will have three weeks of healing time before the game in Tampa, his injury is fresher than those of his teammates and thus he is more unlikely to make it back for this game.
Thomas did not miss a snap the first four games but a left foot issue forced him to sit out in Week 5. He returned but lasted only 29 snaps against the Rams when he sprained his right ankle. That landed Thomas on injured reserve and he missed the three games prior to the bye. The game against the Buccaneers will be five weeks and one day after the ankle injury.