Talk surfaced following the New York Giants’ brutal Week 10 loss to their in-state rivals that the team could potentially shut down second-year running back Saquon Barkley for the season.
Giants head coach Pat Shurmur was having none of that in addressing the rumors on Monday.
Barkley has now followed suit, indicating that it “won’t happen.”
Barkley put up a career-worst performance against the Jets, gaining a total of one yard on 13 rush attempts. He was also seen heading to the X-ray room after the game with an unspecified injury.
The reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year has had a down sophomore campaign. Barkley has still put up 660 total yards in seven games. However, he’s averaging just 4.0 yards per rush attempt.
At 2-8 on the season and losers of six consecutive, New York is heading into its bye week.
The team would sure like to see how Barkley coexists with rookie quarterback Daniel Jones over the final six games of the season. However, it also can’t risk further injury to one the game’s most-dynamic backs.