10 Most Indispensable New York Giants: Decision Coming Soon on No. 4's Future

Saquon Barkley is an indispensable player for the Giants because of the production and intangibles he boosts the backfield with.

Saquon Barkley, Running Back

Height: 6-foot-0 | Weight: 232 pounds
College: Penn State | NFL Exp: 5 Years
Career Stats: 60 GP / 60 GS, 954 carries for 4,249 rushing yards, 29 rushing TD’s, 247 receptions for 1,820 receiving yards, 8 receiving TD’s

From the moment he was drafted by the New York Giants in 2018 as the No. 2 overall pick in that draft, running back Saquon Barkley has been a magnet for constant criticism and debate.

The overwhelming opinion at the time deemed the Giants’ selection incredibly risky, given the durability of the position and the fact they could have filled other needs in the first round, including a possible trade-down to acquire more picks. When significant injuries piled onto one another in 2020 and 2021, dissenters were ready to sound the alarms on a massive failure by the team’s front office, based on the fear that Barkley’s prime would be wasted away in the aftermath of career-changing ailments.

However, there is one element to the Barkley discussion that gets continuously brushed away, one that has captured his supporters' awe and makes him truly indispensable to the Giants franchise. That would be his record-setting stat lines that took the NFL by storm and continue to do so in the face of injury doubts.

Charging onto the scene in his two seasons, Barkley dominated the field to the tune of consecutive 1,000-yard rushing campaigns while notching 17 touchdowns and earning him Rookie of the Year recognitions. What was equally noticeable was the 26-year-old’s impact on the passing attack, where he added another 1,159 yards and six scores by the end of the 2019 season.

After two years of extensive time on the sidelines with injuries that included a high ankle sprain and an ACL tear, Barkley returned in 2022 and delivered on his vow to come back stronger and better than ever. Playing in 16 games--he was inactive for the regular-season finale as part of a coach's decision to rest the starters--Barkley steered the running backs group with a career-high performance of 295 carries for 1,312 yards and ten touchdowns that also included 57 receptions for 338 yards on passing from the flat.

Barkley’s shining performances have already landed him a handful of other awards and acknowledgments throughout the league. In addition to his Rookie of the Year honors, the Penn State alum joined the NFL All-Rookie Team at the end of 2018. He also has two Pro Bowl appearances, three Player of the Week nods, and holds at least two seasons in the Top 10 for several categories, including rushing attempts, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns.

As of press time, Barkley was engulfed in a contract impasse with the Giants, which will either see him play 2023 on the $10.1 million franchise tag or get the new multiyear deal he desires.

And outside opinions continue to be split as to whether the Giants need him to stay successful in the 2023 season. We think they do, as we'll explain in the next section.

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Top 10 Indispensable Players

No. 10: Kayvon Thibodeaux | No. 9: Leonard Williams | No. 8: Bobby OkerekeNo. 7: Adoree' Jackson | No. 6: Xavier McKinney | No. 5: TE Darren Waller

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Why He’s Indispensable

Beyond the numbers he's capable of generating, Barkley is a freakish athlete whose intangibles add extra elements to the Giants' offense that opponents must prepare for on Sundays.

The most obvious is his impressive lower body strength, an asset that allows him to shift the direction of the run on a dime, power through oncoming tacklers, and churn up extra yardage on a given drive. According to Pro Football Focus, Barkley has averaged 4.5 yards per carry in his five pro seasons, but at the point of contact, he has carried the pigskin a median of 3.01 yards to lengthen the play.

In 2022, those numbers reached 4.4 yards per attempt and 2.78 average yards after contact for his best stats in the past three seasons. He has also used his speed and elusiveness to collect 100 runs of 10+ yards, 53 designed runs of 15+ yards, and 1,632 breakaway yards.

Then, the running back boasts a good route-running ability that offers the Giants a secret receiving threat in the deep field. If one were to watch Barkley's film, one would find him selling the pass protection in the pocket before shooting out for the flat or immediate middle and taking dump-off passes for positive yardage.

On some of his best catches, he would flash up the sidelines or on vertical routes, haul a huge grab over a trailing defender, and unveil the elusiveness to make men miss and create huge plays between the hashes.

Yet, Barkley’s presence goes beyond the bounds of statistics and individual skill sets and extends to the realities of depth and leadership within the running back position and the broader roster. Since he was drafted, Barkley has led the Giants in rushing four times, the lone exception being in 2020 when he missed most of the season with an ACL tear.

Last fall alone, no other back came close to his numbers–the next candidate being Matt Brieda with 220 yards–nor did they accumulate as many yards from scrimmage, which put Barkley in the top 10 for a second time.

Teaming up with his quarterback and fellow captain Daniel Jones, the tandem has risen to serve as the Giants' main source of rushing production, and that figures to be the case in 2023 if Barkley receives his new contract or elects to play on the franchise tag. More so, Barkley is often considered the face of the franchise and a voice for the Brian Daboll regime’s current culture.

If anything more than the above reasons, the organization should want Barkley back in their ranks for the leadership and mentorship he can bring to the rest of the locker room, especially to the younger bucks within his position circle.

What Happens if He’s Missing

Without Barkley, the Giants running backs department features Matt Breida, who returned in free agency on a one-year deal, Gary Brightwell, Jashaun Corbin, and Eric Gray, the rookie from Oklahoma who was taken in the fifth round of April’s draft. Two of these players have never touched the NFL field before, which leaves room for uncertainty with success, and only Breida has prior experience of significant rushing production from his days with the 49ers.

Short of scouring the open market for another veteran ball carrier that knows how to manage a professional rushing load with consistency, the Giants will find themselves in a pickle trying to maintain a strong dual-threat offense without the aforementioned assets of their main guy. This could pressure Daniel Jones to take on some of the responsibility with his legs that garnered 708 yards in 2022 to finish second on the team.

Given his increase in confidence and ball protection skills, one shouldn’t doubt that Jones would be hesitant to assume such an ask. However, the organization might be wary of that tactic, given that Jones has had his health issues before and the importance of his presence for the passing game's success.

Final Thoughts

It's highly unlikely that Barkley won’t be on the field with the Giants for the start of the 2023 season. The running back has stayed connected with his teammates during the negotiation process, including being spotted working with Daniel Jones.

The Giants will likely feature a heavy dose of Barkley from the backfield, in a mix of inside gap and outside zone rushes where he will put his strength and elusiveness to the test. Yet, don’t be surprised if he makes his way out towards the slot area of the field and earns some passing looks on screens, wheel routes, or crossing routes over the middle.

Barkley appears to be in excellent shape. If he continues to perform at the peak version that was on display before injuries ravaged him in 2020 and 2021, it’s not unreasonable to expect him to chase his 2022 numbers again and even look to break them. 

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