New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley has shown that he is well and truly on the road to being back to his best after an incredible clip emerged of him during training camp.

Saquon Barkley, having first come into the league during the 2018 NFL Draft with the 2nd overall pick in the draft, has arguably more than lived up to his expectation when it comes to the numbers he’s been putting up in the league during his stint with the New York Giants. 

Whilst injuries have certainly played their part in holding him back, most notably an ACL tear during the 2020 season that saw him only play two games throughout the entire season as well as two minor injuries in 2019 and 2021, he has still managed to put up two 1,000 yard seasons in his first two years that have helped him reach 2,927 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. 

This year is set to be a pretty big one for Barkley, as he enters his 5th-year in the NFL. The team did pick up his 5th-year option back in 2021, ensuring he was tied down for this upcoming season, but there hasn’t been much noise with regards to any further extensions just yet. 

A year to prove himself

The New York Giants are at a pivotal moment when it comes to how they want to define their offensive structure for the foreseeable future. 

They don’t have a lot of faith in quarterback Daniel Jones, best exemplified by them not taking up his 5th-year option, and it could well be that they look to draft their signal-caller of the future in the 2023 Draft, and it could well be that if Barkley doesn’t perform well this season, that he might find himself looking for a new team next season if the Giants decide to move on.

But judging by footage that has emerged from Giants training camp, it looks as if he is fighting tooth and nail to make sure he has a great season.

Bulldozing the competition

In footage posted by Giants Daily, Barkley can be seen absolutely lighting up 2nd-year cornerback Aaron Robinson during a full pads drill during Giants training camp, sending him down to the ground with a thundering hit:

It’s that kind of aggression that the Giants are going to need this season if they are going to get out of the recent slump that they’ve been in, and if Barkley can just put a few of them onto players from opposing teams rather than his own, then they might just stand a chance of picking up their first winning season since 2016.