EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley had just limped off the field in Week 5, his left ankle the size of a beach ball before he plopped on the end of the bench at AT&T Stadium. The disgust from stepping on the foot of Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis was oozing from every pore.
Barkley was pounding his thigh pads with his fists as if he was trying to punch a hole in them. The realization the injury would mean more time on the sideline while his teammates tried to fight out of an early season hole was too frustrating to hold in.
Barkley had a high ankle sprain that marred his 2019 season and a torn ACL in his right knee that ended his 2020 season in Week 2. He had to know this latest injury would further affect his ability to land a second contract.
“What would go through your guys’ minds if you just rehabbed for 10 or 11 months to get back on the field and then you got hurt by rolling your ankle by stepping on someone else’s foot?” Barkley said several days after the game. “You’re going to be frustrated. You’re going to be exhausted. You’re human. I’m human.”
Fast-forward six weeks and the Giants (3-6) are a long shot to make the playoffs and Barkley has missed 18 of the past 23 games heading into Monday night’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Barkley is expected to play against the Bucs (6-4), but his injuries have complicated the answer to a looming question facing the organization: Should they re-sign him to a long-term extension?
The answer once seemed a formality. The 2018 season — when he finished with 2,028 yards from scrimmage, 15 touchdowns and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year — suggested greatness. Since his promising debut he has totaled 1,860 yards from scrimmage over parts of three injury-riddled seasons.
“All the things that I want to attain are still out there for me to attain. I live by that,” Barkley said. “There are going to be setbacks. There is going to be adversity,…
Source : espn
