Getty Former Giant and member of the Super Bowl 46-winning team Chris Canty named Saquon Barkley among his top 5 most overrated players in the NFL
It’s time to go out there and prove all the doubters wrong.
New York Giants Super Bowl champion Chris Canty, now working for ESPN, released his list of top 5 most overrated players in the NFL. Among the names included were Dak Prescott, Christian McCaffrey, and a pair of Chargers in Khalil Mack and Derwin James. The fifth name is Giants running back Saquon Barkley, whom Canty ranked 3rd.
.@ChrisCanty99 ranks his top-five most overrated players in the NFL 👀
Playfully calling it “Giant-on-Giant crime”, Canty proceeded to make his case.
“This is a running back that doesn’t understand the value of a four-yard run. He’s always looking to hit a home run. He’s a liability in pass protection,” He said. “They’re not getting a return on investment”
Canty pointed out Barkley’s much-discussed injury history, citing the fact that running backs don’t get healthier as they get older. Barkley’s injury troubles in New York began in September of 2019 when he suffered a high ankle sprain against the Buccaneers in Daniel Jones’ first start. Barkley missed three weeks with the injury.
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A year later, in September of 2020, Barkley tore his ACL and a sprained MCL during the second game of that season, missing the rest of the year. Finally, returning at the start of last season, the former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year suffered a low ankle injury in New York’s Week 5 game vs the Cowboys. He missed four games as a result but was mostly ineffective after returning, rushing for over 100 yards just once in eight games and scoring zero rushing touchdowns.
Barkley Has Faced Further Criticism
Chris Canty isn’t the only member of the NFL world that has recently been critical of Saquon Barkley. In an ESPN article polling executives, coaches, and players for the top 10 running backs in the league, Barkley was named as an honorable mention. One anonymous coach, described as a “veteran NFL offensive coach” was not kind to the Penn State product. “I’m down on him — he still doesn’t know how to play running back enough,” the anonymous coach said. “He’s a bouncer. He wants every run to be a home run. He’s going to have to learn that 4-yard runs in this league are good, instead of stopping, cutting it back, and losing 2. And he gets his ass kicked in protection.”
This sounds almost identical to Canty’s criticism of Barkley’s unwillingness to make these four-yard runs.
Dan Hanzus of NFL.com recently removed Barkley from the NFL “Superstar Club”, replacing him with Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. “The guy we watched last fall in the Meadowlands rarely got more than what the defense gave him,” Hanzus said. “Still just 25, Barkley gets a fresh start with a great offensive mind in new head coach Brian Daboll. We’re hopeful, but Barkley needs to prove himself again.”
Wan’Dale Robinson’s Guaranteed Money Unprecedented
Big Blue is paying their second-round draft pick in an unprecedented fashion. Wan’Dale Robinson, who signed his contract just before rookies reported to camp. The Kentucky product is getting 60.49% of his year three money guaranteed. As Pat Leonard of the NY Daily News points out, the same pick (43rd) as Robinson last season got zero percent of his year three money guaranteed. Safe to say the Giants believe Robinson will be a significant player on the offense.