Report: Saquon Barkley Had 'No Issues' at Giants Practice Ahead of Week 1 vs. Broncos

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley had "no issues" after his first contact at practice last week, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.

He is expected to play in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos "if all goes well" during Wednesday's padded practice.

Barkley is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Week 2 of the 2020 season. After working his way back to the practice field in August, he took part in contact drills for the first time Thursday.

"Felt good at practice and practicing with everyone on the team," he said afterward. "Think that was definitely needed. Just grateful to be out there and just getting ready for the season."

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Monday the running back is "closed to being fully cleared."

Even if he does play in Sunday's game against Denver, the Giants could be conservative as he returns to full strength.

"My sense is that Barkley will be in the lineup for the opener but won’t have a full workload," Dan Duggan of The Athletic wrote. "The Giants will likely bring Barkley along slowly in his return from a torn ACL."

Barkley is used to being a workhorse when healthy, averaging 16.0 rushing attempts and 4.8 receptions per game during his three seasons in the NFL. He was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018 when he totaled a league-high 2,028 yards from scrimmage with 15 touchdowns. A year later, he worked around injuries to finish with 1,441 scrimmage yards in 12 games.

The 24-year-old will be a game-changing player for the Giants if he can return to his previous form.

Devontae Booker would see extra work if Barkley is unable to play in Week 1.