Giants RB Saquon Barkley questionable for return vs. Dolphins
Barkley took some team reps this week for the first time he was injured Sept. 17 at Arizona during the Giants’ only win of the season. But the Pro Bowl running back looked to be moving somewhat gingerly and needed his right ankle retaped during the early portion of Friday’s practice.
Barkley would likely need to make progress to be ready for Sunday, even if he has made some strides.
“I’d definitely say I’m in a better spot than where I was last Thursday,” Barkley said earlier this week. “So definitely encouraged, but I don’t want to make any guarantees. Continuing to trust in my body and trust in the training staff and go from there.”
If Barkley is able to go, it will be behind a makeshift offensive line. Three linemen — left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring), center John Michael Schmitz (shoulder) and guard Shane Lemieux (groin), all who have started games this season — were ruled out with injuries.
Thomas, an All-Pro left tackle, will miss his fourth straight game.
Matt Breida will again start if Barkley is unable to go. Josh Ezeudu is expected to remain at left tackle in Thomas’ place while Ben Bredeson shifts to center for Schmitz.
Coach Brian Daboll noted that Barkley has “made progress” this week. He participated in team drills and was able to do some lateral cutting. The Giants still need to be convinced that Barkley can protect himself for a significant workload in a live environment.
“I’d say we’ll go through [Friday] and talk about it like we normally do after practice and then make our decisions,” Daboll said.
It’s possible the Giants (1-3) take the decision up until game day, according to Daboll.
Barkley has maintained that he is sticking to the plan and said he will return when his body insists it’s right. Playing on a revised franchise tag, Barkley has said he will not allow his contract situation to affect his timeline.
He has already missed two games, with the Giants losing both by a combined 39 points. The original timeline was that the injury would force Barkley to miss three games.
For a player with his competitive spirit, it has been tough for Barkley to sit and watch from the sideline.
“It sucks. It sucks,” Barkley said. “As a competitor, you want to be out there, and you go back and look at film every game whether you play in it or you don’t. You think, ‘Is there anything else I could have done different if I was in this play or if I was here or there?’ That’s not any diss to Gary [Brightwell] or Breida; those guys have been doing a great job coming in and making plays for us. But as a player, you want to be out there, and I’ll try my best.”
The Giants have an NFL-worst minus-76 point differential this season and have lost by double-digits in each of their three prime-time games.
It has created a turbulent start to the season, especially after right tackle Evan Neal took aim at fans earlier this week. The heat and criticism on Daboll & Co. after a playoff season has picked up steam after the 24-3 loss Monday night to the Seattle Seahawks.
“The goal every week is to put the best product out on the field. We haven’t done that,” Daboll said. “I own that, but you’re going to face adversity in this business 100% of the time. I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but that’s inevitable, so how you choose to handle adversity is optional. So you try to be strong in your leadership, tell things the way that they need to said, improve and get ready to go out there and play another game.”
Again potentially without two of their best offensive players in Barkley and Thomas.