Barkley takes big step in ACL recovery
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Saquon Barkley had to react quickly to change direction and avoid slight contact on Thursday and he didn’t flinch.
He didn’t second-guess his surgically repaired right knee on his final rep against the Patriots, a fairly explosive catch and run on an angle route over the middle.
“You know what? When I caught the ball I wasn’t thinking about my knee or anything,” the running back said after his first 11-on-11 football since Sept. 20, 2020. “That’s a positive sign, I would say.”
Barkley and Patriots edge Dont’a Hightower briefly came together as they sprinted left to right toward Daniel Jones’ pass, but Barkley caught the ball and then deftly danced through and around the slight contact upfield.
Barkley had a twinkle in his eye because he knew it would have been a huge gain if the officials didn’t blow the play dead.
“I might have got a lot more [yards] than what we accounted for,” he said. “I didn’t really get to open up; we kinda blew the whistle. I personally think maybe it would have been a different outcome there.”
Barkley, wearing a red non-contact jersey, only took eight reps in the entire practice, including four in an early 7-on-7 red zone period. But his four snaps and two catches in 11-on-11 were a welcome uptick in workload.
He crossed the goal line for a 7-on-7 touchdown in the left flat, exciting fans in the stands. And then the Giants’ sideline got a noticeable charge out of Barkley’s big play.
“You saw it, man,” safety Logan Ryan said. “[When] he gets that red jersey off, he’s a tough tackle. He brings a lot of energy to our team. He’s one of our better players. It’s good to see him feeling like himself, bouncing around, getting some action.”
Barkley made no grand projections or statements about his Week 1 availability, but he was in good spirits. And not just because he was relieved to be back after missing Wednesday’s practice due to personal reasons.
“He’s looking great,” said linebacker Blake Martinez, the Giants
defender who normally draws Barkley in individual drills. “He’s doing what he needs to do. Excited to have him back when he’s ready.”
Barkley, who tore his right ACL and partially tore his meniscus at Chicago in Week 2 last season, admitted he does not like wearing the red No. 26 non-contact jersey.
“I hate it,” a smiling Barkley said. “I hate it.”
But Joe Judge said the Giants will stick to their steady plan and that there is still time to get players like Barkley ready for Week 1. It will just depend on how his body responds.
Judge hears from Slater: Patriots special teams standout Matthew Slater yelled at
Judge after a kickoff because Giants linebacker Cam Brown had raced downfield and blasted Slater harder than the teams had agreed to hit. Judge then huddled his players to remind them of the pace of play. Slater wasn’t crossing any line here, though. He and Judge are close. Judge coached Slater, 35, a two-time All-pro and three-time Super Bowl champion, for all eight of his seasons as an assistant/coordinator on Bill Belichick’s staff.
Engram on the side: Tight end Evan Engram was a surprise addition to the Giants’ group of injured players working with trainers on the side Thursday. He joined wide receivers Kenny Golladay (hamstring), Kadarius Toney (undisclosed), John Ross (hamstring) and
Austin Mack (hamstring), and corner Josh Jackson (undisclosed).
Corner Rodarius Williams and running back Gary Brightwell, both rookies, left practice early with trainers. Both had seen first-team reps in the practice prior to departing.
Corner Adoree Jackson (sprained left ankle) wasn’t at practice, but Judge confirmed “we dodged a bullet right there” and said Jackson is day-today. Williams had started in Jackson’s place prior to his injury, and then Beal went in . ... The Giants got an asset on Thursday for a player they were going to cut anyway, trading backup kicker Ryan Santoso to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a conditional 2022 seventh-round draft pick, a source confirmed.