The inevitable move of Saquon Barkley to the injured reserve was made official on Tuesday evening, as the New York Giants running back will now set his sights on a 2021 return.
Tuesday also marked the likely addition of Barkley’s replacement. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo has reported that former Atlanta Falcons two-time Pro Bowler Devonta Freeman, who arrived for his visit a day earlier, is expected to sign with Big Blue once he passes through COVID-19 testing.
From NFL Now on @nflnetwork: The expectation is Devonta Freeman will sign with the #Giants, provided all goes well with COVID-19 testing.
Freeman will join the likes of offseason additions Dion Lewis and Wayne Gallman in the quest to fill the monumental void left behind by Barkley, who tore his ACL in New York’s Week 2 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Giants Run Game Has Been the Worst in Football
The second-team All-Pro selection back in 2015 will have his hands full operating behind a newly-constructed offensive line that has struggled mightily over the first two weeks of play. With three new starters up front, two of which are in their first NFL seasons at their current position (Andrew Thomas – Left Tackle, Nick Gates – Center) the Giants have averaged just 52 rushing yards per game in 2020, 26 ypc fewer than the next closest team.
The aforementioned Dion Lewis tried his best to shoulder the workload in Week 2 after Barkley exited the game, but mostly to no avail. While the eight-year veteran did find the end zone vs. Chicago, he produced just 20 rushing yards on 10 carries. Gallman, on the other hand, was a healthy scratch in Week 2 after hauling in one reception for 14 yards the week prior.
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Freeman Brings Much-Needed Talent to Big Blue’s Backfield
Whether Freeman will be called upon to man the brunt of the workload moving forward remains to be seen. However, the injection of his versatile skillset into the Giants’ backfield should prove a worthy complement to both Lewis and Gallman.
Still just 28-years-old, Freeman is fresh off a 59-reception campaign, the second-most of his NFL career and eighth-most league-wide amongst running backs in 2019. He has seen a dip in production in the ground game of late, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry since returning from an injury-plagued 2018 season. However, he has shown capable of being an every-down, in-between the tackles runner throughout the majority of his career.
Freeman has averaged 4.0-plus ypc in all but two of his six seasons and has a proven nose for finding the endzone, including a whopping 27 combined touchdowns from 2015 through 2016. The Giants, on the other hand, have seen their running backs combine for just 10 rushing touchdowns over their last 18 games.
Freeman will likely see his first game action of 2020 this Sunday vs. a battered San Francisco 49ers defense who will be without Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas and Richard Sherman come game-time.
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Giants to Sign 2x-Pro Bowler as Saquon Barkley Replacement: Report