Are the New York Giants Missing Saquon Barkley?

Let's look at the numbers to find out.

Sep 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) tries to get way from Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dee Alford (20) and linebacker Kaden Elliss (55) at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Are the New York Giants missing running back Saquon Barkley?

A look at the numbers would suggest the answer is yes. As a team, the  Giants have 341 rushing yards on 99 carries, averaging 3.4 yards per carry. Barkley himself has 439 rushing yards on 73 carries for 6.0 yards per carry.

Of course, it’s not as simple as looking at yards per carry  or wins and losses when you consider whether the Giants are missing Barkley right now.

What you can look at is Barkley’s ability to create explosive plays, contribute as both a runner and receiver and the sheer threat he poses as a playmaker.

When it comes to explosive plays, the Giants as a team have just seven carries of 10+ yards. Barkley individually has ten carries of ten or more yards.

The knock on Barkley used to be that he had far too many carries that were negative plays overall.

Sep 26, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, US; New York Giants running back Devin Singletary (26) runs past Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (13) at MetLife Stadium. / Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Last season, behind what everyone can agree was a worse Giants offensive line and a gameplan that told defenses the Giants wanted to run the ball, Barkley had a success rate of 36.4%, per NextGen Stats.

This year, Singletary's success rate is 28.6%, 48th in the league, while Barkley's is 46.6%, 17th. Barkley is also second in the NFL with 156 rushing yards over expected and 3.4 yards after contact per carry, while Singletary’s is -10 rushing yards over expected but still has 3.3 yards after contact per carry.

Thus through the first four games of the season, Barkley has been more productive on a per-touch basis and overall than Singletary.

Jan 7, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) breaks a tackle by Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zach Cunningham (52) for a rushing touchdown during the first half at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Placing Barkley’s 2023 situation, arguably one of the worst a running back has ever had to deal with, considering the poor offensive gameplan, bad offensive line, and no true passing threat, there is an argument to be made that Barkley was still more productive than Singletary has been despite the latter being in a better situation.

As receivers, there are few backs, if any, that can do what Barkley can do as both a catch and run threat as well as being a back capable of making plays downfield.

While the numbers suggest that the Giants are missing Barkley, I can’t speak for what Brian Daboll might think.  But I can answer that this team would be better with him in the backfield. I don’t think that’s something that can be realistically disputed.

Sep 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Giants running back Devin Singletary (26) runs with the ball as Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6) goes for the tackle during the first quarter at Huntington Bank Field. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

This is a Giants offense that is lacking explosive plays in both the passing game and rushing game and for all of the potential downside of Barkley, the home run hitter potential is sorely missed.

That isn't to say that the Giants regret adding Singletary or that they regret allowing Barkley to hit free agency. The finances pretty much dictated Barkley’s fate with the Giants, who chose to spend the money on the offensive line, which was arguably a much greater need. 

This also isn’t to say that Singletary has been playing poorly overall. He’s a productive back. But what we can conclude, at least through four games, is that the Giants probably would have been better and more productive with Barkley in their backfield.

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