Giants Sound Optimistic About Having Saquon Barkley, Kadarius Toney in Lineup Sunday

Will the Giants have running back Saquon Barkley and receiver Kadarius Toney available for Sunday's game against the Broncos? The clues are starting to add up in favor of that happening.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Sep 10, 2021 11:49 AM EDT

Thus far, the New York Giants have been extremely tight-lipped regarding the status of their players coming off injury.

But when it came to two potentially important cogs in the wheel--running back Saquon Barkley and receiver Kadarius Toney--offensive coordinator Jason Garret might very well have let the cat out of the bag.

Garrett was asked about what he's seen from Saquon Barkley during practice and said, “I think he’s done a great job to get himself back healthy and 100 percent.”

AT the start of the week, head coach Joe Judge said that he wanted to see how well Barkley, who is coming off a torn ACL, responded to three straight days of practice, including Wednesday's fully-padded session.

Barkley, listed as "limited" on the team's injury report, had no change in his workload, appears to have responded well in what could be taken as a positive sign.

“Saquon’s a special player, and he’ll certainly get his opportunities,” Garrett said. "We’ve lived that trying to stop him, so it’s great to have him on our side and, again, we’ll try to give him opportunities.

"He’s worked really, really hard to get back, to come back from a serious injury. He’s done a great job and demonstrated great leadership about how you respond to adversity.”

Toney, the Giants rookie first-round pick this year, has been slowed down this summer by COVID-19 and then a hamstring strain. But with the rookie declaring himself ready to go, it sounds as though the medical and coaching staffs agree.

“There’s certainly things you want him to be able to do and Kadarius missed a lot of time in training camp, so you want to be specific and purposeful with what you ask him to do,” Garrett said. “But that’s really the same for any of the guys that we have.”

If that's not enough evidence of plans to put Toney in the lineup, earlier this week, the Giants moved C.J. Board, listed as their primary kickoff returner, to the practice squad, likely clearing the way for Toney and his electrifying speed to take on that role.

"Kadarius is earning everyone's trust. He's getting out here and he's working," said special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey. "He's a rookie, he's trying to find his way and lead. He's going to try and find his niche and he's doing a good job, he is. He's different; he' a special athlete."

McGaughey wouldn't confirm if Toney will be the kickoff returner Sunday. Still, he acknowledged that he was comfortable with Toney's ball security in that role, which was a significant factor in the assignment.

"Yeah, he does a good job," McGaughey said. "He's a wiry, strong guy and he does a good job of fielding the ball."