Giants' Saquon Barkley on 'Frustrating' Ankle Injury: I Was 'Just Hitting My Stride'

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley avoided a serious ankle injury in Sunday's 44-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. However, that doesn't mean he's any less upset about the ailment.

The 24-year-old told reporters Thursday he's frustrated about the ailment because he felt he was rounding into form since returning from a torn ACL.

Barkley suffered the ankle injury during the first quarter of Sunday's game when he stepped on the foot of Dallas cornerback Jourdan Lewis on a throw from Daniel Jones. He was taken off the field and soon ruled out for the remainder of the contest. 

The Penn State product is reportedly believed to have a low ankle sprain is considered week-to-week, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Like much of the Big Blue offense, Barkley has underperformed this season, recording 54 carries for 195 yards and two touchdowns in five games. He has also caught 14 passes for 130 yards and a score on 20 targets. 

However, Barkley was just heating up before going down. He had his best game of the season in a Week 4 win over the New Orleans Saints, recording 126 total yards (52 rushing, 74 receiving) and two total touchdowns. He had 94 total yards in Week 3.

The 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year has struggled with injuries since posting 1,000-plus rushing yards in each of his first two seasons. In Week 2 of the 2020 campaign, he suffered a torn ACL and missed the remainder of the season. 

There was also speculation Barkley wasn't fully healthy during New York's Week 1 loss to the Denver Broncos. Former Giants running back Tiki Barber said on WFAN (h/t NJ.com) that the star running back "didn't look right."

"You could see him at some points in the game, he's limping around, not having real confidence in that knee," Barber said. "Not that there's anything wrong with it, it's fatigued. He hasn't run like that in a while now."

The Giants picked up Barkley's fifth-year option, and he's scheduled to become a free agent after the 2022 campaign. If he continues to struggle with injuries, it's unclear what his market will look like.