The New York Giants have heavily invested in running back Saquon Barkley, but perhaps it’s time for him to step back a bit.
Barkley has struggled with injury and inconsistency this season — something that has become a staple of his career — while his counterpart, Devontae Booker, is producing at a much higher clip.
Our friends over at Talkin’ Giants recently broke down the bare-bones stats.
Giants rushing stats
Devontae Booker 113/506/2 4.5 YPC
Saquon Barkley 115/429/2 3.7 YPC
Daniel Jones 62/298/2 4.8 YPC
Elijhaa Penny 23/97/1 4.2 YPC— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) December 24, 2021
Beyond just rushing yards and yards per carry, Booker is out-producing Barkley in nearly every other area. He averages 7.4 yards per reception to Barkley’s 6.7, and Booker’s 88.9% catch rate also far exceeds Barkley’s (72.5).
Booker has one dropped pass this season. By comparison, Barkley has six, which is third-worst in the league. And when it comes to pass protection? Booker again outshines Barkley — although not by much.
While Barkley continues to ponder his struggles, Booker feels like he’s in a groove.
“I feel like that’s with any runner,” Booker told NJ Advance Media this week. “As long they get a groove or when they get touches, the more touches I get the more I’ll continue to excel.
“Me personally, I’ve been playing cool. My ‘cool’ is good, I guess. But I don’t even think about that since it’s a team game and I’ve been trying to go out and help my team win. And for us to not win, it just sucks.”
The Giants still want to win and at this point, Booker gives them a better chance to win than Barkley does. Why not just swap the roles and see what Booker can do as the lead dog?
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