Giants Struggling to Get Saquon More Involved in the Passing Game

Whatever the reason, the Giants need to figure out how to better optimize Saquon Barkley's talents in the passing game down the stretch.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Dec 8, 2022 5:15 PM EST

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New York Giants

There are a lot of mysteries about the current New York Giants team and the thinking that goes into the decision-making process by the coaching staff at times.

One of the biggest head-scratchers involves running back Saquon Barkley, currently the Giants' best two-way offensive threat as both a receiver and runner.

This season, Barkley has been targeted 52 times in the passing game, catching 40 for 241 yards. That puts him on pace for 73 pass targets on the season, a far cry from his rookie campaign when he caught 91 balls on 121 targets as part of a 1,000-yard rushing season.

What's even more of a head-scratcher, though, is that after it first looked like Barkley was going to be a significant part of the passing game, his targets have dropped as the season has worn on, and despite the problems with the receiving corps being a MASH unit.

In the Giants' first eight games, he averaged 4.75 pass targets. Since the bye, he's seen that average dip to 4.25 targets per game, his average yards per route run, which exceeded 1.0 in six of those first eight games, failing to top 0.69 since the bye.

"Each week is different," offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said Thursday when asked about the challenges of getting Barkley more involved. "Each opponent you go through, depending on what their defensive structure is, is different. You got to go into each week with a fresh mind and think about how you can attack a defense in the run and pass game."

Barkley said that whatever is asked of him, he'll do, stressing that the type of role he's asked to play isn't important; it's delivering on the expectations.

"When the opportunity presents itself, I’ve got to try to be there and make the plays. That’s the only thing I can really focus on," he said. "Kafka, (Head coach Brian Daboll) Dabs--all those guys every week find creative ways to not only get myself the ball but put our offense in a spot to be successful. That’s the only thing that matters."

Kafka didn't get into why it's been such a challenge of late, but part of the problem could lie in the Giants' shoddy screen game.

According to data from Sports Radar, Barkley has been targeted just 13 times on screen passes this season, averaging 5.69 yards on those screens. The struggles with the screen game could result from the injuries that have disrupted the cohesiveness of the offensive line.

Another consideration is Barkley's injured shoulder. Barkley already takes a decent enough pounding as a runner in the Giants' bread-and-butter running game, so perhaps there has been a resistance to the temptation of adding too much to his plate.

Whatever the reason, Kafka acknowledged that the coaching staff is always looking for ways to get Barkley involved as much as possible.

"Each week, we talk about those things and how we can get him in the most ideal, premier look," he said. "It probably just hasn’t shown up as much as we’d probably like to. Those things present themselves each and every week, and that’s what we look for as a staff – how we can get those things done over and over and over again. That’s part of our evaluation process on the week to week."

And if he is called upon to be more of a receier, Barkley vows to be ready.

"I think I’ve shown that in my career, the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield," he said. "But you know, every season, every week is a new challenge and you’ve got to show something different. So far this season, I really haven’t had to be that. There’s more physical in between tackles. Carry the ball 31 times, however many times I’ve done it so far. Do whatever it takes for the team to win.

"As the season continues to go on, could that probably be in the near future? You never know. Whatever they ask me to do, go out there, play to the best of my ability and when the play is called try to make a play for the team."