New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley has had a rollercoaster of a career, and this is the final year of his rookie contract.
His first two seasons, especially his rookie season, were solid seasons. Then he spent two seasons plagued with ankle and knee injuries. But this season, two years removed from ACL surgery, Barkley looks like the running back we saw back in 2018, and people are taking notice.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN released his midseason awards, and while there’s some competition for this one, currently Barkley is being given the Comeback Player of the Year award.
A more traditional candidate, Barkley looks like a transformative player after three years of being slowed by ankle and knee injuries. He looks much closer to the player we saw as a rookie, but this time around, he’s the focal point for a Giants team that is actually winning games and competing for a playoff berth.
Barnwell goes on to cite Barkley’s rush yards after the catch this year, which matches what he put up his rookie season. Not a bad metric, but what if you looked at his stats and realized that he’s on pace to out-rush himself?
Barkley netted his highest rushing season in 2018 with 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns, along with 721 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. At the midpoint of 2022, he has 779 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, plus 189 yards receiving. Double those and you end up with 1,558 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, and 378 yards receiving.
It’s pretty safe to assume that Barkley’s receiving output will go up during the second half of the season because the Giants’ receiving corps is struggling and Daniel Jones needs options. Even if it doesn’t, Barkley is on pace to have his best season as a running back this year.
Barkley is absolutely deserving of the Comeback Player of the Year Award given how hard he has fought to get here.
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