Saquon Barkley nearing full clearance to return for Giants season opener

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley appears to be nearing his return to game action. The former Penn State star suffered a torn ACL last season and has been working his way back throughout preseason camp. The Giants play against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Barkley is close to being full cleared to return.

“Giants RB Saquon Barkley is gearing up to play Sunday vs. the Broncos, and sources say he’s close to being fully cleared to do so following major knee surgery,” Rapoport tweeted on Monday. “The team needs to watch him through Thursday to gauge how his body responds to the workload. But he’s close.”

Barkley isn’t the only player on the Giants offense that is recovering from an injury ahead of week one. Tight end Evan Engram is questionable for Sunday’s game.

Barkley’s return will be a welcome one for the Giants

At Penn State, Barkley played a major role on the Nittany Lions offense. In three seasons, Barkley rushed for 3,843 yards and 43 touchdowns while adding 1,195 yards and eight touchdowns receiving. He was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017 and earned consensus All-American honors in 2017. The Giants selected Barkley with the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

As a rookie in the NFL, Barkley rushed for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging five yards per carry. Barkley also caught 91 passes with 721 yards and four touchdowns. In 2019, Barkley wasn’t as dominant as he was as a rookie, but he still accounted for 1,441 total yards and eight total touchdowns.

Barkley tore his ACL in the Giants’ second game of last season. In parts of two games, Barkley only rushed for 34 yards on 19 carries and had 60 yards on six receptions.

Wayne Gallman handled the bulk of the rushing duties for the Giants in Barkley’s absence. He ran for 682 yards and six touchdowns. But Gallman, Alfred Morris and Devonta Freeman were not able to perform at a level high enough to replicate Barkley’s value to the offense.

As Barkley returns to the field for this season, it will be interesting to watch if he still has the same explosiveness that made him so special before his injury. The Giants are hoping that he does, and that he can return to his elite status as one of the top running backs in the NFL.