Saquon Barkley wasn’t a Giants tackling dummy.
Barkley said he took some light hits – none to the ground – during the closed portion of Thursday’s padded practice. It might be the most contact he gets in his recovery from a torn ACL before the season-opener.
Giants coach Joe Judge previously said Barkley needed some live-tempo hitting before returning to regular-season action, but the running back did not play in any of the preseason games. The Giants only have four practices remaining before their Sept. 12 opener against the Broncos, and the team hasn’t committed to Barkley’s availability.
“Within a normal practice, safely … they gave me some good shots,” Barkley said. “It’s in pass protection, route-running, just to get me back in the flow of things.”
Actually, Barkley thinks he hit maybe an even bigger milestone Wednesday.
“I had a run and I thought about it and I was like, ‘That’s kind of like the first time I’ve really carried the ball in that situation since the time I hurt my knee,’” Barkley said. “Still just taking it one day at a time.”
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