Business DirectoryToday's Ads Classifieds Jobs Items for Sale Yard SalesReal EstateYour Local Autos
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley runs a drill during training camp at the NFL football team's practice facility, Thursday, July 28, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
New York Giants offensive line coordinator Bobby Johnson, left, speaks with running back Saquon Barkley (26) during training camp Wednesday in East Rutherford, N.J.
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley wears a bejeweled number 26 during drills at the NFL football team's training camp, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley runs a drill during training camp at the NFL football team's practice facility, Thursday, July 28, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
New York Giants offensive line coordinator Bobby Johnson, left, speaks with running back Saquon Barkley (26) during training camp Wednesday in East Rutherford, N.J.
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley wears a bejeweled number 26 during drills at the NFL football team's training camp, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Saquon Barkley strode to the podium in the New York Giants field house in a pair of white socks and wearing his trademark No. 26 necklace.
The seemingly ever-present smile was quickly visible.
He was the same as always on Thursday on the second day of training camp, but with a slight difference.
Remarkably, this will be Barkley’s fifth season with the Giants. Only wide receiver Sterling Shepard (2016) has more time with the team.
“I’m 25 now, in year five and one of the older guys in the building,” Barkley said. “I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, but I got to use that to my advantage. I can use that to lead. Especially with some of the adversity that I’ve had to deal with in the last couple of years. I think that it’s not only helped me as an athlete but just as a person, as a man, as a brother, and as a teammate.”
It’s easy to remember his rookie season when he rushed for 1,307 and 11 touchdowns and caught 91 passes for 721 yards and four more TDs. The No. 2 overall pick in the draft finished second to Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott (1,434) for the rushing title and led the league in total yards from scrimmage with 2,028. He was the league’s Offense Rookie of the Year. The Penn State product added a second 1,000-yard rushing season in 2019 despite an ankle injury.
The past two years have been really tough. He tore an ACL in the second game of 2020 and missed the rest of the season. He came back last year after an extensive rehab and was limited to 593 yards rushing and two TDs and 41 catches for 263 yards and two TDs playing in a struggling offense. He also missed time with a freakish ankle injury, the result of stepping on the foot of Cowboys defender Jourdan Lewis after an incomplete pass.
Barkley is feeling good heading into this season with former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll coaching the team. But there are question marks. His contract runs out at the end of the season and it’s hard to say whether he will ever be the same player who excelled as a rookie.
“I know what I am capable of doing and I know the talent that I have,” Barkley said after practice. “The way I kind of think of it is the same mindset I had when I first came into the league when everyone asked me what my expectations are, and this and that. The way I look at life is if I take care of the little things and take it day by day the rest will take care of itself.”
Daboll has changed the offense since taking over from Joe Judge. There is a lot more pre-snap movement and he has used Barkley a lot as a receiver in the first week of camp.
“So, our job is to figure out ways to use him, whether he did it last year or the year before, two years, in college,” Daboll said. “When you’re developing in a system, you kind of figure out what these guys do best, and you challenge them to do more.”
Barkley also should benefit from changes to the offensive line. Center Jon Feliciano and guard Mark Glowinski were signed as free agents and Alabama tackle Evan Neal was drafted with the No. 7 pick overall, giving New York bookend tackles with Andrew Thomas.
Veteran defensive back Julian Love smiles when asked about Barkley.
“That dude is the ultimate competitor in everything he does,” Love said. “He’s talking. He talking all that stuff because it fires him up. And so to see him running around and competing and being able to produce right now and go battle with us, I mean, that’s huge. I’m excited for him.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Your comment has been submitted.
There was a problem reporting this.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High near 85F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..
Clear skies with a few passing clouds. Low 58F. Winds light and variable.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Get late-breaking news soon after it happens.
Get news updates each day.