Bark’ will be back for Birds
Saquon Barkley is on track to play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals after a full practice on Wednesday morning.
“It’s good to have him back,” left guard Will Hernandez said. “That’s our guy.”
Tight end Evan Engram (left MCL sprain) also was a full participant and appears ticketed to suit up in Week 7, as well.
Barkley (high right ankle sprain) has missed the Giants’ last three games, and he, Engram and Sterling Shepard (concussion) all sat out last week’s 21-point loss at New England. They all watched the game together, in fact, at Shepard’s house.
They’d prefer to play, though, as the Giants (2-4) seek to snap a two-game losing streak. And two of them are on track to give rookie QB Daniel Jones more help.
“He’s a big part of what we do, he’s a special player,” Jones said of Barkley. “So it’d be big to have him.”
Barkley will be returning exactly four weeks to the day after the injury he sustained in Week 3 at Tampa Bay. The Giants essentially are 2-2 without him: coming back to win that game without him and beating Washington in Week 4, then losing to the Vikings and Patriots since.
Engram’s return could be critical because the Cardinals are the NFL’s worst defense against tight ends. Arizona is allowing six catches for 84 yards and a touchdown in six games to its opponent’s top tight end.
Shepard remains in the concussion protocol, along with Wayne Gallman and Olsen Pierre, and continued as a limited, non-contact practice participant on Wednesday. Sources said when Shepard was placed in the protocol on Oct. 7 that he would be out “a while.”
Rookie corner and starting kick returner Corey Ballentine also was a surprise addition to the concussion protocol after complaining of persistent headaches, per the Giants. Ballentine wasn’t even on the field Wednesday.