Saquon Barkley Close to Returning to Giants

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley is likely to play this Sunday against the Broncos, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport said the Giants will see how his body responds to the workload in practice on Thursday before deciding whether he will play on Sunday at 4:25 p.m.

Barkley, 24, suffered a torn ACL during Week 2 last season, ending his 2020 campaign. Barkley has slowly been working his way back, and just recently starting practicing in full.

Should Barkley suffer a setback or not play on Sunday, the Giants will turn to former Broncos and Raiders running back, Devontae Booker.

Booker rushed for 423 yards on 4.5 yards per carry last season, serving as backup to Josh Jacobs.

Barkley meanwhile has seen his NFL career go in peaks and valleys, starting with an offensive Rookie of the Year campaign in 2018, followed by two injury-riddled seasons.

Barkley spoke to the media in late August when he returned to practice for the first time, saying he was taking it day by day.

"It felt good. Obviously, I wasn't at practice yesterday, but it feels good being with the team, feels good to get a couple of team reps," Barkley said. "It's just fun to be able to play football again, feel like a little kid and just taking it day by day."