Giants' Barkley 'starting to get that swagger back'
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley said Wednesday he's finally starting to feel like the best version of himself after playing through multiple injuries in recent years.
"Coming into this camp, focusing on my body, working on my body, doing all the little things necessary to keep my body healthy," Barkley said. "When you've got that, when you can trust your body, your confidence just grows.
"So, I would say the difference (from college to now) was I was a way more confident player in college and early in my career than I was prior to the last year and then last year. Now I'm starting to get that back, starting to get that swagger back."
Barkley took the NFL by storm as a rookie after the Giants drafted him second overall in 2018. The Penn State product led the league with 2,028 scrimmage yards while appearing in all 16 games. He rushed for 1,307 yards (five per carry) and 11 touchdowns to go along with 91 catches for 721 yards and four scores.
But the 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year has struggled to stay healthy since. He missed three games in 2019 with an ankle injury before a torn ACL ended his 2020 campaign in Week 2. Last season, Barkley sat out four games with another ankle ailment.
"I feel a lot better than I felt at this point last year," said Barkley, who rushed for 593 yards (3.7 per carry) and two touchdowns in 13 appearances in 2021.
"My body feels strong. Feel like I got my strength back. Feel like I got my speed back. Feel like I can trust my knee again, trust myself to make plays and not think about it."
However, the 25-year-old doesn't want to get too excited about his health.
"You can't get too high on it because it's just minicamp right now," he added. "But all the little stuff in gaining confidence here, in this break that we have, hopefully catapults and pushes me through camp and to the regular season and beyond, hopefully."
Barkley is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract in 2022.
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