Just how crucial is running back Saquon Barkley to the New York Giants’ offense? So much so that Adam Schein of NFL.com recently named him one of NFL’s most indispensable offensive players.
Schein noted that quarterbacks weren’t included for obvious reasons and then cautioned that his list wasn’t a series of rankings based on the best players in the game, but simply an evaluation of players who are most critical to their team’s offensive success.
Barkley, of course, fits that mold perfectly.
7) Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants
The only reason he’s ranked in the bottom third of this list is because I have serious doubts about these Giants racking up that many wins — even with Barkley in the fold. Without him, though, they’d REALLY be in trouble.
Barkley has a Barry Sanders feel to him. This is the ultimate team sport, but Saquon truly changes games with his individual brilliance. The Giants might be trailing by two scores because of inept quarterback play, a porous line or leaky defense, but Barkley is always capable of breaking one. Ninety-one catches to go with his 1,307 rushing yards — as a rookie?! I gave him my AP vote for first-team All-Pro. Barkley was truly a Giant amid chaos.
In 2019, that chaos is expected to settle as the Giants revamped their offensive line, got rid of offensive distractions and finally have an unselfish cast of characters surrounding Eli Manning.
Because of those improvements, Barkley is expected to raise his game to a whole new level, which is hard to imagine after what he did as a rookie. 2,000 yards on the ground is certainly a possibility, and that should help yield an increased amount of wins.
