Saquon Barkley Rockets up Leaderboard For Major NFL Award

Getty New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley is now the leader for Comeback POTY.

Saquon Barkley is one step closer to bringing home some hardware this season. After a monster performance against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1, the New York Giants running back is the current betting favorite to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Barkley’s current odds to win Comeback POTY are +500 at BetMGM, according to The Athletic. He wasn’t included in the opening odds and was still “off the board” before Week 1.

Here’s where Barkley stacks up against the other top contenders heading into Week 2:

Barkley, 25, tore his ACL early in the 2020 season. Although he made a healthy return in 2021, the former No. 2 overall draft pick didn’t look like the same player last season. He finished with less than 900 yards from scrimmage and only scored four total touchdowns in 13 games played.

Barkley’s 2022 season is off to a much more explosive start. He had 164 yards and a touchdown on 18 rushing attempts and caught six passes for 30 yards against the Titans. He also scored the game-winning two-point conversion with less than two minutes to play.

Barkley looked so good in Week 1 that his Offensive Player of the Year odds also jumped significantly. He was +8000 at BetMGM before Week 1, according to The Athletic, and is now +1600 to win that award. Those are the fifth best odds in the NFL, behind only Justin Jefferson (Vikings), Jonathan Taylor (Colts), Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals) and Cooper Kupp (Rams).

Meanwhile, head coach Brian Daboll is now in the running for NFL Coach of the Year. His current odds at BetMGM to win the award are +900, tied with Brandon Staley (Chargers) and trailing only Kevin O’Connell (Vikings) and Mike McDaniel (Dolphins).

Saquon Barkley Reveals Biggest Difference Between 2021 and 2022

You could point to any number of factors for Saquon Barkley’s big day in Week 1: improved health, better offensive line, brand new offensive scheme, etc.

For Barkley, however, the answer is much simpler.

“Mindset. More confidence,” Barkley said, via ESPN.

NFL Next Gen Stats keeps track of a statistic called “rushing yards over expected” or RYOE, and Barkley’s RYOE/attempt in Week 1 was 4.87. Last year, it was -0.28. That’s a massive difference that really illustrates his surging individual impact.

“I knew we were going to have a great game, and we were going to make some plays. It was just when the timing was right,” Barkley said, per ESPN. “It wasn’t really just a mindset change, it’s going out there and just believing in myself, trusting myself and letting my God-given ability show.”

Barkley’s belief in himself now has many believing in the Giants…but do the Giants believe in Barkley beyond 2022?

Former NFL Executive Weighs in on Barkley’s Contract Situation

Saquon Barkley’s contract situation will be a hot topic so long as he keeps producing. He is currently playing out his fifth-year option and slated to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

“He has to sustain this level to be paid at the top level,” former NFL Executive of the Year Randy Mueller (a Heavy contributor) told Heavy NFL Insider Matt Lombardo. “And his health is a top criteria. I do think he’s finally with a coach who knows exactly how to use him in a system that really fits him

“What impressed me most about Sunday is his ability to be productive above, and beyond the scheme. He was making guys miss, lowering his pads on contact, and getting an extra yard or two. When a coach knows a running back can make a play — even though that play may not be blocked perfectly — you can surely make a case for paying him, as long as he can produce on all three downs. Barkley’s six catches were just as important as his rushing yards and really factor into how much a team pays him. He was the definition of a complete back in Tennessee.”