It’s up to Garrett to jump start ‘O’ without Barkley
W HOA, Joe Judge threw down the gauntlet at the feet of Jason Garrett, didn’t he? “Jason has to put some ways to get Evan out there and get him the ball,’’ Judge said Wednesday after the news broke that, in addition to losing Saquon Barkley for the season, Sterling Shepard will miss at least three games with a toe injury. How about that? It sure seemed as if Judge was putting the onus on his offensive coordinator, challenging Garrett to unleash the talent within tight end Evan Engram. Or not. “I wouldn’t look too far into that,’’ Judge said Thursday. “I understand the way it came out and the way it was phrased. I wouldn’t read too far into that quote. There was nothing kind of undermining the thinking about that.’’ Very well then. It falls on so many inside the Giants building to regroup and recover after the devastating loss of Barkley. It falls on no one more starkly than Garrett. It is his offensive system — a system he logically built with Barkley’s name written on most every page. Through two games, Garrett’s offense is last in the NFL in scoring with 29 points, one fewer point than the Jets. Talk about a power outage in the New York-New Jersey area. “Obviously, Saquon is a great, great football player … certainly was going got be a big part of what we wanted to do this year,’’ Garrett said. “Now we have to adjust.’’ Now he has to adjust. Can he do it? A knock on Garrett with the Cowboys was he was not the most enlightened coach when it came to changing up in the second half when things did not go well in the first half. Garrett in Dallas was accustomed to one-back dominance (DeMarco Murray, Ezekiel Elliott) and thus featuring Barkley was a given. His explanation of how a running back-by-committee approach might benefit the Giants — what else can he say right now? — was revealing, and potentially fascinating.
“If you have a guy like Saquon Barkley, a lot of the offense is gonna go through him,’’ Garrett said. “When I was in Dallas, we had to defend him a lot and the focal point of our defense was No. 26. When you have different guys in those roles maybe the focal point is not quite as narrow on that particular player, so maybe that works to your advantage a little bit.’’
Can it be? This approach works fine in other NFL outposts, as long as the stable of running backs is versatile and talented enough. Are Dion Lewis, Devonta Freeman (once he learns the system) and Wayne Gallman capable of giving opposing defenses, if not fits, then at least a few headaches?
When exploring the need for Engram to get going, Judge said, “We want to be creative … but we’re not just trying to invent something for the sake of doing it.’’
With Shepard out until at least mid-October, using Engram more often as a receiver working out of the slot is not inventing anything. He was on the field for more than 95 percent of the offensive snaps (127 of a possible 133) in the first two games. Engram lined up on the line of scrimmage 61 snaps, in the slot 46 snaps and out wide 20 snaps. That 35 percent in the slot should increase now. That is where Shepard did his best work, and without him, Engram is the nextbest option. Maybe the best option, period.
Everyone is always waiting for Engram, 26, to bust out. His first six quarters this season were fairly lousy. All six of his receptions in Chicago came in the second half.
This is Engram’s fourth season since he was the Giants’ No. 1 pick in 2017. He has provided flashes and it is fair to wonder if this is all there is.
“You know what I look at him as? As a developing player,’’ Judge said. “I think Evan’s young enough where we have not seen his best ball.’’
Maybe. Maybe this expanded opportunity provides a gateway for Engram.
“It sucks losing my brothers like that,’’ Engram said. “I think it’s on everybody on offense and everybody on our team to kinda dig deep and come in ready to work hard and perform.’’
It is on everybody, but some more than others. Garrett and Engram top the list.