Giants Saquon Barkley Ready to Be Best Version of Himself

Running back Saquon Barkley can't wait to taking his full training camp and turning it into production.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Aug 26, 2022 6:07 PM EDT

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In case it hasn't been obvious, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley is in a good place.

He's healthy and practicing, something that he hasn't been since his rookie season. He's also taken to the new Giants offense like a duck takes to water, and well, he's just living his best life for the first time in quite a while from a professional perspective.

"I’m just in a place where I’m thankful – blessed," Barkley said Friday following the Giants' practice. "And just taking one day at a time. I would say just probably being out a couple of games the last two years. Just probably being fed up and not even with the outside noise, but just with having to sit out games and rehab and all that, all the bad stuff."

Things haven't been easy for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft. After an impressive rookie season in which he won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and amassed over 2,000 scrimmage yards, things went south for the former Penn State Star. Barkley has not only had to deal with a rash of lower body injuries, but he's also had endless criticism from naysayers who doubt him.

Saquon Barkley Pushes Back Against Critics of Running Style

Such criticism caused Barkley to recently lash out at those who think he's overrated, with Barkley, in his way, telling his critics to go pound sand.

He's thrilled to have made it through the entire training camp this year without any setbacks, noting how at this point last year, he was just coming off the PUP list and had to play catchup to get to where he wanted to be.

Having the entire camp this year is why Barkley feels rejuvenated and ready to conquer the world.

"I’m ready," he said. "I would say that compared to last year, it’s not even close. And that’s why I keep saying I’m just thankful because I can go back anytime. I know camp is a grind, but any time I’m like, ‘Dang, I can always go back. But you couldn’t even do this at this moment last year, so take full advantage of it.’"

When it was pointed out to Barkley that he's going to be on the field with some of the NFL's top running backs this season, he said it's more about what he does than what they do.

"At the end of the day, I can’t control anything that (the other running backs) do. So, my mindset is just to go out there and be the best version of myself and be the best I can be," Barkley said. "And at the end of the day, hopefully, the only thing that matters is your team winning. So, that’s what we want to accomplish in that environment."

And Barkley, in case the message got lost in the translation, is ready to be a part of the solution moving forward.

"I’m ready to go," he said.