Why Saquon Barkley is set for a big 2022
Recovering and rehabbing to come back from a torn ACL at any position in any sport is no joke.
To the surprise of many, Saquon Barkley was able to do so in just 11 months. The former #2 overall pick suited up for the Giants, playing against the Broncos in week one last season. Barkley’s injury originally occurred in week two of the 2020 season, and he didn’t have his surgery done until over a month after.
That was intentional, but extends the rehab time nonetheless. Although Barkley came back healthy and with limited setbacks, his performance in 2021 still left a lot to be desired.
Dismal 2021 for both team and player
The New York Giants were one of the worst teams in the NFL in 2021 in all three phases of the game. The team finished with a joint third-worst point differential in team history (-158), the team’s worst since their -176 mark of 1980.
The Giants’ offense failed to score 30 points in any individual game during the course of the season while stumbling to the league’s 31st scoring offense and also finishing 31st in total yards. To make things worse, incumbent starting quarterback Daniel Jones only started 11 games, and threw for 10 touchdowns in those 11 games.
Accounting for backups Mike Glennon and Jack Fromm, Giants passers combined for only 15 touchdowns against 20 interceptions. The Giants offense also finished in the bottom-third of the league in 3rd down conversion percentage. While Saquon Barkley’s own performance contributes to this in some ways, it’s hard to ignore how bad his supporting cast has been, particularly coming off of a major injury.
One of the only criticisms of Barkley’s game has been his ability to keep runs inside and run between the tackles and guards. That’s rather than looking for the spectacular, long and mazy run across the field. Incidentally, the Giants’ interior offensive line has often been a weak (usually the weakest) point in the entire team.
Improved Giants will help Barkley
Newly minted Head Coach Brian Daboll and General Manager Joe Schoen set out to address that this offseason, adding Evan Neal to start at right tackle, and adding veterans Mark Glowinski and Jon Feliciano to add both skill and experience to that interior.
Moreover, Barkley actually debunked the myth about his vision and discipline between the hashes, with some of his best work in 2021 coming through the middle.
As the season grew older and Barkley more comfortable and confident, the fourth-year RB was able to gash the Bears, Chargers and Dolphins for consistent chunk gains in the trenches, all while other players, including Daniel Jones, were out injured or performing poorly.
While Saquon Barkley isn’t faultless for the Giants’ failures over the last few years, the team hasn’t helped him either. For example, the team has not had a 1000 yard receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. was traded to the Browns in 2019.
Former offensive coordinator Jason Garrett was often criticized. He was fired for failing to scheme his players into advantageous positions, instead relying on receivers and others to win on their own.
While New York still don’t project as a playoff team in 2022, the new coaching staff and retooled roster will help him return to form. A fully healthy player with his talent would struggle to do worse than only one 100 yard performance in 13 starts.
The season is still over two months away. But I’m cautiously optimistic we’ll see a better version of Saquon Barkley this season than recent years.
