Nobody denies how talented Saquon Barkley is. The New York Giants selected him second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. However, injuries last year hindered Barkley’s rushing ability. He played a good portion of last season on a hurt ankle. This year, he has had a full off-season to prepare and seems to be in the best shape of his career, which is scary to think about. Barkley will be the best running back in the NFL this season and win the rushing title.
Why New York Giants Running Back Saquon Barkley Will Have a Breakout Season
Revamped Offensive Line
Everyone knows the offensive line was not good last season. Nate Solder had a rocky season and the Giants did not have a reliable right tackle. With the addition of Andrew Thomas, we should see a much more productive offensive line. Thomas should slot in at the left tackle spot and anchor the offensive line. Andrew Thomas is the big addition to this team. The Giants are heavily investing in their offensive line and it will start to pay dividends soon enough. Thomas is looked upon to anchor this line for the next decade, and he has the talent to do so. Sliding Solder to the right side will also be beneficial. Some of Solder’s poor play could be attributed to the fact his child had surgery during the team’s bye week. If his son’s health continues to improve, Solder’s play will most likely follow suit. This revamped offensive line should create plenty of lanes for Saquon Barkley to run through.
Daniel Jones’ Improvements
One noticeable difference when Daniel Jones was the quarterback and when Eli Manning was under center was Saquon Barkley’s rushing ability. Manning clearly read the defense better and was able to put Barkley in the right position. Jones lacked that ability, and it seemed that Barkley was always hitting the clogged holes. With Jones’ rookie season under his belt, we should see a more seasoned Jones under center this season. Jones will be more adept at reading the defenses and this should directly affect Barkley’s rushing performance.
Productive Off-Season
Saquon Barkley looks noticeably larger this season. He has put in an extremely large amount of work and continues to get bigger, faster, and stronger. It is clear that his goal is to be the best at his craft. With his injury-ravaged season last year, he clearly wants to come back stronger and have a productive season. This injury-plagued season was one of his first as he only missed action during his freshman year at Penn State due to injury. His durability makes him one of the least likely candidates to get hurt. Freak incidents occur and he can tear an ACL, but his track record proves otherwise.
Saquon Barkley is arguably the most talented running back in the league. Behind a revamped offensive line, a seasoned Daniel Jones, and a long off-season, this has the making of a potentially historic season for Saquon Barkley. A season that consists of 1,600 rushing yards and 10+ touchdowns is very much a reasonable stat line for a fully healthy and hungry Saquon.
