Giants RB Saquon Barkley: The Good, the Great and the Ugly

Coach Gene Clemons dives into running back Saquon Barkley's tape to see where he's improved and still has room to grow.

The Giants have had a few players that polarize the media and the fan base over the years, and more recently, running back Saquon Barkley has been one. 

Ever since the Giants brought the Bronx, New York native home with the second overall selection in the 2018 draft, his value has been debated. His first two seasons showed production on par with the elite backs in the NFL, but injuries have marred his past two seasons, and questions surrounding his worth have been amplified by the team's inability to win games. 

Despite all of the talk, Barkley remains one of the most talented backs in the league. Not many possess his size, speed, agility, and receiving ability. The 2022 season will be pivotal for Barkley as he aims to prove that he should be in the long-term plans.

Let’s take a look at some clips from the 2021 season that illustrates the good, great, and ugly of Barkley’s game.

The Good: Vision as a Runner

Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Barkley has been accused of bouncing plays outside too often, but the reality is that there were not many rushing lanes to get through, especially last season.

In this game against the Eagles (his best overall game of the 2021 season), Barkley’s vision was on full display as he could dart in and out of cuts and weave through blockers while navigating defenders.

 

We dissected this play sequence that shows Barkley set up blocks, get skinny through holes, and make defenders miss in short areas. There have been many times over his first four seasons that Barkley has been forced to "BYOB" (bring your own block).

In those times, he has produced some of the most ridiculous runs. Sometimes it is impressive just to see him not lose yards on a play.

The Great: Receiving and Run-After-Catch Ability

Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Barkley's receiving ability was fully displayed during his rookie season in the league when he hauled in 91 receptions. While dealing with more defensive focus, a coaching change, and injuries, people seem to have forgotten how effective he is as a receiver.

He catches the ball smoothly with his hands and does not look like he's fighting the ball. His tremendous change of direction allows him to run good routes, and he has the explosion to fly by any defender.

His breakdown of plays in that same game against Philadelphia shows his versatility as a receiver.

He comes out of the backfield, and he lines up split wide. More impressive than his receiving ability is his ability to run after the catch, which is also on display.

The Ugly: Pass Blocking Aggression

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

It could be because of apprehension that comes with injury or the design of the scheme, or it could even just be an unwillingness to engage, but Barkley never looked consistently comfortable as a blocker.

Sometimes, he was not looking at the appropriate gaps to pick up blitzes. There were times when he would catch blocks instead of attacking them. When he was supposed to chip to help other blockers, he would whiff or barely make contact with the pass rusher.

Part of that could be because he was too anxious to get out into a route instead of focusing on protecting the quarterback first. While dissecting these plays, we can see the lack of aggression in Barkley's blocking.

While aggression can't necessarily be taught or developed, schemes can force someone to be more deliberate about their intentions as a pass protector.

Ultimately the Giants should be finding more ways to use Barkley in the route combination instead of blocking, but when his number is called, he must improve.

Final Thoughts

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You don't see the Saints looking to part ways with Alvin Kamara, and Austin Ekeler has become an integral part of the Chargers offense. The Panthers, Colts, Steelers, Titans, and many more organizations have built their offenses with heavy emphasis on the running back position, and Barkley is definitely in that mold. 

The game against New Orleans is a perfect example of the type of typical Sunday production (56 yards rushing and a touchdown on 13 carries and 74 yards receiving and a touchdown on five catches) he could provide for a long time. 

Most days, the rushing will outpace the receiving, and on those days where yards on the ground will be difficult to come by, he should still be effective as a receiver. 

Aggression is challenging to improve because it is a mentality, but if he is a little more purposeful about his blocking, that will improve his performance as a blocker. 

If he can be relatively healthy in 2022, he will produce. There's no reason a team looking to ascend would get rid of an asset like that just to go and try to find another just like him. 

   

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