Report: Giants' Barkley medically cleared for Week 1

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley was medically cleared Saturday to play against the Denver Broncos in Week 1, reports ESPN's Jordan Raanan.

The Giants have yet to announce Barkley's status for Sunday's game, but the 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year is expected to make his return from a torn ACL. The 24-year-old hasn't played since suffering the injury in September 2020.

Barkley took the NFL by storm after being drafted second overall in 2018. The Penn State product led the league with 2,028 scrimmage yards and scored 15 touchdowns during his freshman campaign. He then missed three games due to injury in 2019 but was still able to top 1,000 rushing yards.

New York's offense struggled in Barkley's absence last year, ranking 19th in rushing yards and scoring only 17.5 points per game, second fewest in the league. Wayne Gallman led the club with 682 yards on the ground and six touchdowns in 2020.

The Giants bolstered their offensive unit this past offseason, signing free-agent receiver Kenny Golladay and drafting wideout Kadarius Toney in the first round.

Copyright (C) 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.