Saquon Barkley New York Giants
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The New York Giants are getting closer to have their best offensive player active for their season opener. Saquon Barkley is close to being fully cleared and is preparing to play in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. 

Barkley is nearly a year removed from tearing his ACL and having knee surgery that ended his season. The former No. 2 pick in the NFL draft has been productive on the field, but hampered by injuries over the last two seasons. A high ankle sprain caused Barkley to miss three games in 2019 and the torn ACL forced Barkley to miss 14 games in 2020. Barkley has played just 15 games since the start of the 2019 season. 

The Giants have been cautious with Barkley throughout the offseason as they hoped he could return by Week 1. Even if Barkley was ready to go by the opener, New York may have given him a light workload to ease him back into the fold. But that doesn't appear to be the case based on his progress over the last couple days. 

Barkley's presence in the Giants offense cannot be overstated. He recorded at least 1,000 rushing yards, 1,400 scrimmage yards and 50-plus receptions in each of his first two seasons. In Barkley's last full season (2019), he averaged 110.8 scrimmage yards per game on 269 touches -- scoring eight touchdowns. Barkley recorded 15 total touchdowns in his rookie season while averaging 126.8 yards per game. 

If the Giants are hoping to win the NFC East, they'll need Barkley available for all 17 games to return to the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. Barkley playing in Week 1 would be an excellent start. 

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