NFL.com Picks This New York Giant for Team MVP

If the New York Giants are to finally have a successful season, they will need their offense and this player in particular to have a big year.

The last time the New York Giants had a semi-decent offense was in 2018 when it finished 17th in the league (356.1 yards/game).

Since then, the Giants offense has languished near the bottom of the league, falling to 23rd in 2019 and 31st in 2020 and 2021.

In that somewhat decent 2018 season, a big reason was the presence of running back Saquon Barkley, the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award winner who finished with a league-best 2,028 all-purpose yards.

With expectations set high after that 2018 season, things quickly fell apart for the Giants offense. Barkley, who would notch his second career 1,000-yard rushing performance in 2019 (barely), began to have injuries to his legs that cost him games, including a devastating torn ACL suffered early in the 2020 season and, more recently, a fluke sprained ankle that cost him time last season.

Add to that a stale offensive system that failed to take full advantage of what Barkley and his teammates did well, and it's no wonder that the Giants offense has been disorganized.

Things, however, are looking up for the Giants after an encouraging spring in which head coach Brian Daboll oversaw the installation of a more modernized offense that looks like it will emphasize the pass-first concept. Because of his versatility, which included 91 receptions for 721 yards and four receiving touchdowns as a rookie, Barkley is expected to flourish in this system.

That's probably why Kevin Patra of NFL.com has Barkley as his non-quarterback MVP choice for the Giants.

If Big Blue is going to stun prognosticators, Barkley will be at the forefront of that effort. Since his dynamic rookie season (NFL-best 2,028 scrimmage yards), the running back has missed 21 games and never looked fully back from his ACL tear last season. But if he can return to form in 2022, Barkley is a dual-threat weapon who can control games and be the ideal security blanket for Daniel Jones. We haven't seen the real Saquon in years -- the man with the Barry Sanders-type moves in the open field who can burn past DBs. In what amounts to a make-or-break campaign, here's betting Barkley can get back on track.

It's hard to argue with Patra's choice. Quarterback Daniel Jones would be too easy of a pick given that the passing game would heavily rely on his ability to get the ball out quickly and into the hands of his playmakers.

But when we're looking at the Giants playmakers and what the offense is starting to look like, it's hard not to imagine that Barkley is in line to receive more than his fair share of pass targets.

And why not? Put Barkley up against most linebackers and defensive backs, and he will usually win most of those matchups. At Penn State, Barkley averaged an impressive 11.7 yards per reception, recording eight touchdowns over his three-year tenure for the Nittany Lions.

If Barkley can get back to averaging over 10 yards per reception, that will be a huge boost to a Giants passing offense whose receivers have struggled to separate and pick up yards after the catch.

More importantly, getting Barkley more involved in the passing game will help with moving the chains and sustaining drives, something the Giants haven't had much success doing in the last few seasons.

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