Saquon Barkley Refuses to Be Benched In Order to Rest
The 2019 season has quickly headed south for the New York Giants, falling entirely out of the playoff picture. It has also been a second year marred by injuries for star running back Saquon Barkley as he was banged up once again in Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets. It has now put into question whether the Giants should consider shutting down Barkley for the rest of the year to preserve his health for the long haul. It didn’t take long for that sentiment to come back around him.
Much of the same for Giants in 2019
New York headed into the 2019 season with hopes that the team could take some significant strides forward. However, the team has experienced the same downward spiral towards being one of the worst teams in the league.
The hope was that another chance for Eli Manning would get him back on track, but the team has moved to a full youth movement with rookie Daniel Jones taking over the helm under center. Meanwhile, it has been nothing short of a frustrating second campaign for Barkley, who has been limited by injuries throughout the year.
The 22-year-old was once again bitten by the injury bug as he suffered a shoulder injury in Sunday’s game that has brought into question his long-term status for the rest of the 2019 season.
Saquon Barkley doesn’t want to be rested
In his short time in the NFL, it’s quite clear that Barkley has a strong desire to do whatever he can to get on the field.
The Penn State product is dealing with his second injury of the season that has required an X-Ray to clarify his status. Despite the banged-up nature of his body, Barkley has voiced that he doesn’t want to be benched to rest him for the rest of the year, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.
“The mindset of sitting me out and resting me for the rest of the season is beyond me,” Barkley said. “I do not agree with it. It won’t happen. I’m going to keep going until I can’t go no more. That’s the player I am and I’m going to do it for my teammates.”
There is no quit in Barkley’s mindset, but the team could take a deep dive into sitting him out if they believe that is what is best for the franchise beyond this season. The fact of that matter is that he’s not 100 percent healthy as he came back early from a high ankle sprain and is now dealing with a nagging shoulder injury.
At this point, it’s a matter that is now completely out of his hands moving forward this season.
Giants could seriously consider sitting Saquon Barkley
The 2019 season hasn’t gone in the manner the Giants had hoped, even after switching to Jones under center. That has resulted in them being all but out of the playoff picture for the rest of the season.
All that should have already shifted the gears of the front office towards eyeing what moves should be best for the long haul of the franchise now that they have two potential franchise cornerstone pieces in place with Jones and Barkley. The former has continued to gather more much-needed experience on the field, but the latter has continued to be dogged by injuries.
With the playoffs out of the picture, there is no reason to continue to play Barkley if he’s not healthy enough to give it a go. There is much to be encouraged by their star running back’s mind frame and mentality, but if the Giants venture the route of sitting him at all, it will purely be because of their long-term vision for the franchise.
New York may shoot down that possible notion at this point, but it will be something they at some point this season if Barkley’s health issues continue to persist.
