Is Saquon Barkley poised for a bounce back season?

Former All-American running back at Penn State, Saquon Barkley, has gone through his trials and tribulations the past few years, but is the former Nittany Lion finally ready to get back to his old self in 2022?

Following an outstanding rookie campaign in 2018 in which he was voted Rookie of the Year and also elected to the Pro Bowl, the former Nittany Lion has battled numerous injuries – most notably a season-ending ACL tear that he suffered in week two of the 2020 season.

His first injury at the professional level was an ankle sprain that caused him to miss three games in 2019. He still had a solid season that year, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in as many years, and having a nearly identical yards per game average as his rookie campaign, but he still wasn’t quite the Saquon Barkley that fans are used to.

In 2020 came the devastating ACL tear, which sidelined Barkley for the season.

Heading into 2021, question marks swirled about if he would be 100% healthy. Even though the ACL was totally healed, he obviously lost a lot of strength and stability in that right leg, and it was clear he was not his usual self. He lacked the strength and speed that made him who he was for three years in State College, and throughout his rookie year with the Giants.

He got off to a slow start, but had his best game of the season against the Saints in week four where he caught a 54-yard touchdown pass and also had a walk off, six-yard touchdown run in overtime. Just when it seemed as if maybe he was getting back to normal, the injury bug struck once again.

In the following game against Micah Parsons and the Cowboys, Barkley once again suffered an ankle injury that kept him out for four weeks.

After returning from the injury, he still was not his former self, and struggled mightily for the remainder of the season.

Along with battling injuries, Saquon Barkley has also dealt with limited help around him, both on the field and on the sidelines.

The Giants’ offensive line has routinely been among the worst in the league throughout Saquon’s career, but they were able to draft an excellent left tackle out of Alabama in the first round: Evan Neal.

They also hired Brian Daboll as their new head coach, and he had a lot of success as a play caller with the Buffalo Bills, so hopefully he can put the offense – including Barkley – in a better position to succeed through better schemes and a more balanced attack.

In fact, Barkley hinted that his role in the offense under Daboll will change.

In an article by Clutch Points, they mentioned that NFL insider Ralph Vacchiano stated that throughout OTAs, the Giants have had Saquon lining up all over the field in more of a “Deebo Samuel-esque role”. Barkley himself even said that he “hasn’t moved around like this since college”, and even stated that he has gone back to watch some of his old college film to re-familiarize himself with the role.

Seeing as though his versatility is part of what made him such a valuable asset for the Nittany Lions and part of why the Giants drafted him No. 2 overall in the first place, it’s good to know that Brian Daboll will look to take advantage of Barkley’s diverse skillset.

Additionally, an article from PennLive quoted the former Penn State back as saying “My body feels good. My body feels strong. Feel like I got my strength back. Feel like I got my speed back. Feel like I can trust my knee again, trust myself to make plays and not think about it.”

That is great news for Giants and Penn State fans (and obviously Barkley himself), and bad news for opposing defenses, because as we all know, a healthy Saquon Barkley with his full speed and strength is a nightmare to try to tackle in the open field, and he can get back to putting up Pro-Bowl level numbers, and making highlight reel plays week in and week out.

Not only would a bounce back season be great for Saquon, the Giants, and Penn State faithful, but it could also be a huge plus in terms of recruiting for the Nittany Lions.