New York Giants: Saquon Barkley ready to lead

The Odell Beckham Jr. trade made running back Saquon Barkley the new face of the New York Giants. He’s also about to become the team’s next leader.

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. called running back Saquon Barkley after being traded by the New York Giants to the Cleveland Browns earlier this month.

"“We talked over Facetime, he had just gotten traded, so I don’t think he was really happy about it,” Barkley said of the conversation, per Matt Lombardo of NJ Advance Media. “He just gave me some advice about how to handle stuff in the league. He was the same old big brother to me that he’s always been.”"

Regardless of certain narratives out there, it shouldn’t surprise those who’ve followed the team that Beckham served as a mentor for Barkley even after the transaction never requested by the superstar went through. It’s no secret Beckham has plenty of friends inside the New York locker room, and he often spoke with the then-rookie ball-carrier on the sidelines during games last season.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

Beckham’s gone. What’s done is done. The man set to replace Eli Manning as the face of the franchise throughout the 2020s won’t be in the facilities during offseason workouts, and the New York passing attack lost its best weapon. Barkley was a luxury and, ultimately, the team’s best player his debut campaign. The Giants need him to be so much more beginning immediately.

There’s little reason to believe he isn’t up to the task. Recently, Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks spoke with Barkley about, among other things, those who criticize Manning’s play and who say the two-time Super Bowl MVP can no longer win at the highest level.

“Yeah it bothers me,” Barkley responded. “He’s not the reason why. We love to put the blame on one person, but it takes 11 men, a team, an organization all together to win.”

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1110976026128064514

Beckham, you’ll remember, handled things much differently during what became an infamous ESPN interview. He didn’t go to bat for his quarterback. He didn’t verbally commit himself fully to the organization that signed him to a historic contract earlier last year. One interview and one television segment don’t cause a team to trade a superstar who can be the best player at his position. We now know, however, that Beckham’s words made it all the easier for general manager Dave Gettleman and ownership to send him away.

Beckham and Barkley are different; different stars, different personalities, different playmakers. Some hit out at Beckham for not diving after an onside kick during a game last December. You won’t find any reasonable or knowledgeable person questioning Barkley’s toughness, motivation or dedication to the cause this spring.

After the Giants drafted Barkley last spring, he spoke openly about regretting deferring leadership opportunities to others during his early days at Penn State. From Daniel Gallen of Penn Live:

"“That’s something I feel like in college, my freshman year, I didn’t do,” Barkley said Saturday at his introductory news conference at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. “I didn’t step up to that challenge. I didn’t speak enough. I kind of sat back and let the Hacks and the Zettels of the world speak, and I didn’t take that approach. I feel like at that time, looking back on it, I definitely could have helped.”"

He continued:

"“You’ve got to earn the respect of your teammates first,” Barkley said. “Come in with that mindset that nothing’s given to you, you’ve got to earn everything. That’s first and foremost, come with that mindset and earn the respect of your teammates.”"

That second part shouldn’t be an issue. The 22-year old finished second only to Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott in rushing yards, he caught 91 of 121 targets for 721 yards, and he found the end zone 15 times. His workload in 2018 — 352 plays, incomplete passes not included — combined with unfathomable athletic skills and ability allowed him to lead the league in yards from scrimmage.

Nobody doubts Barkley can take the ball to the house if given a yard of open space. Opposing defenses can and will target and plan for him differently without Beckham on the field or in the lineup. How Barkley handles those situations during games and how he steps up inside the locker room and behind the scenes will affect the post-Beckham Giants as much as any perceived lack of talent on the roster.