Saquon Barkley Unconcerned About Snap Count Reduction

Saquon Barkley has seen his deployment on third down drop of late, but he's unbothered by that.

When it comes to their offensive game plan, the New York Giants coaches always say they like to customize it according to the opponent and make sure the best players are on the field as much as possible.

Yet interestingly enough, one of their best players, running back Saquon Barkley, has seen a decrease in his snaps despite the dual threat he provides as both a runner and as a receiver. Even if he isn't the main target of the play, his mere presence alone as a decoy is enough to put the opposing teams on guard.

"I think that’s a question better for (Offensive Coordinator Mike) Kaf(ka) and all those guys," Barkley said when asked about it. "I’m not making too much of it. No matter what, I have full belief in any of the guys that go in after me."

That's all well and good, but none of the guys behind Barkley offer the same skillset or threat that he does when he's in the game. And while it's certainly possible that, in the case of last week at least, the decision to limit Barkley's snaps was due to the score getting out of hand as the game wore on, it was still a curious decision considering other guys were left in to fend for themselves. 

"I mean, yeah, clearly last week my snap percentage wasn’t as high," Barkley said. "the game kind of got out of hand. I don’t play much in situations like that. I just do what I’m asked to do. Whenever my number is ready to be called, I try to make the plays that I’m able to make when I have the opportunity."

Barkley, who claims he feels fine physically, is set to negotiate a new contract after this season, though there exists the possibility he'll receive the franchise tag again. Whether that has anything to do with the decision to dial back his workload is something only the coaches know for sure, though they'll tell you that they pull Barkley out when he needs a blow.

"I think that if Saquon needs a break, then he comes out," head coach Brian Daboll said. "We put the next person in. Saquon’s an important player for us. He plays as much as he can play. If he needs a blow, we put another guy in."

“We want Saquon out on the field as much as possible,” added offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. “Saquon will be out there until he needs a blow. That’s really how we work out with him.”

Byt why third down, where Barkley has only played on 49.5 percent of the team's third-down plays versus the 65.9 percent he's played on first and second down, per Pro Football Focus?

"I think [it’s] just the usage on first and second down, and then third down comes around; if he can stay in there, he will. If he can’t, he’ll come out for a play, and the other guy will step up,” Kafka said.

One possibility for the "blow" is that Barkley's pass blocking this year hasn't been sharp. Per PFF, Barkley has allowed six pressures so far this season, matching the number of pressures allowed in 2021 and 2022. 

So it could be that the Giants want to keep Barkley as fresh as possible for the important first and second downs and then turn to fresher and younger legs like those of Matt Breida and Eric Gray for the more difficult third-down role.

Whatever the case, Barkley doesn't take the lack of playtime on third down personally.

"I don’t think my usage of third down is a negative thing or them viewing it as me not being able to be in there on third down," he said. "I think that I’ve shown that throughout the years and especially so far in my two years with them. But yeah, whatever it is, keep going with it, and I’ve just got to find a way to make better plays."

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