NY Giants Star RB Saquon Barkley Could Miss Two Months of Action

Though the play of rookie quarterback Daniel Jones on Sunday was a bright spot in what has been a dismal season for the New York Giants, a giant shadow was cast by an injury to star running back Saquon Barkley.

Barkley, who spent the second half of Week 3’s win over the Bucs in crutches and a walking boot, was officially diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain and is extended to be out for an extended period of time.

“MRI revealed Giants’ RB Saquon Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain that could sideline him anywhere from 4-8 weeks, per source,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “Longer timeline is considered more likely; the Giants have a bye in week 11, which could give him eight weeks to recover and return for last six games.”

With Barkley sidelined, the Giants will be forced to turn to run-of-the-mill backup Wayne Gallman at running back. The team will also likely bring in at least one other free-agent RB and it’s possible they could usurp Gallman as the starter in Barkley’s absence.

“It’s like any injury. It’s very unfortunate to have Saquon out of the lineup. We all know what he brings to the team. But it’s going to fall on all of us to move forward and do what we can to win games,” said head coach Pat Shurmur.

New York will also have to rely more on Jones and the passing game which means tight end Evan Engram and wide receiver Sterling Shepard will have to step up as they did on Sunday (113 and 100 yards, respectively). Receiver Golden Tate should also be a factor once he sits out in Week 4 to fulfill his four-game suspension (performance-enhancing drugs).

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Evan Bleier

Evan is a senior editor with InsideHook who earned a master’s degree in journalism from NYU and has called Brooklyn home since 2006. A fan of Boston sports, Nashville hot chicken and Kentucky bourbon, Evan has had his work published in publications including “Maxim,” Bleacher Report and “The Daily Mail.”