After an excellent rookie campaign, Saquon Barkley is in position to have an even better sophomore season with the New York Giants.
The New York Giants have had one of the more confusing offseasons out of the 32 NFL teams. After letting key players go, and making what some would call questionable personnel moves, the Giants don’t seem quite sure what they plan to do this upcoming season. However, they are sure on one thing: Saquon Barkley is going to be the focal point of New York’s offense in 2019.
The former No. 2 overall pick had an impressive first pro season, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, and he is in position to bring that same exceptional level of play into his second year in the NFL. The infamous “sophomore slump” isn’t going to affect Barkley as he has the ability, the work ethic, and the self-confidence to put up huge numbers in 2019.
With how the Giants offense looks and their plan for Barkley, 2019 has the potential to be a sensational year for the Penn State product.
Touches, Touches and More Touches
Barkley’s rookie stats were nothing short of amazing. He led the league in total scrimmage yards (2,028) and also had 15 total touchdowns. What was more impressive was the number of touches he received. Barkley ended 2018 with 352 total touches, which ranked him second in the league last season. Coming into his second season, he should expect those numbers to increase for a number of reasons.
With the Giants trading away Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns, they will have to find other players to make up for the 124 targets Beckham received last year. This is where Barkley comes into the picture. He showed how he can be a threat catching balls as a receiver last season, leading the Giants in receptions with 91. With no OBJ, the running back will be the man the G-Men rely on the most to make up for Beckham’s lost production.
Yes, they still have Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram as well, but Barkley has shown he can handle the workload. Shepard and Engram still haven’t shown that they can be relied on as the go-to player in the passing game, but that time will come hopefully.
New York also has some questions at the quarterback spot that could impact the running back directly. Eli Manning is the projected starter at 38 years old, and it seems that his best days of football are behind him. He relied on Barkley to shoulder the offensive load last year, and this year won’t be any different.
Barkley will be the workhorse, especially if Manning fails to produce throws down deep. A good number of Barkley’s receptions last year were short throws from Manning. Manning’s arm isn’t getting any younger, so it’s very likely that those dink and dunk throws to Barkley will be more and more frequent.
The Giants also have rookie quarterback Daniel Jones, who they could plug into the lineup at any time this season if Manning struggles too much. If the Giants do make the decision to start Jones at some point this season, he will also rely heavily on Barkley as he gets used to the pace and play of an NFL game. No matter which quarterback starts games for the G-Men, they will both rely on Barkley to get the offense going.
With the possibility of a quarterback carousel going on throughout the season for the Giants, Barkley will be looked upon as the constant ground (and air) attack that helps New York stay relevant offensively.
The mix of OBJ’s departure, development of their current receiver group and a quarterback situation that seems to be far from solved, Barkley’s touches are sure to increase from the previous year. More touches ultimately lead to more yards and touchdowns. Barkley is sure to make the most of his touches and after an offseason of learning head Pat Shurmur’s offense more, he is bound to electrify and put on a show this season.