Odell Beckham Jr., Giants' Saquon Barkley Plan to Rehab Knee Injuries Together

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley said Wednesday that he plans to rehabilitate his knee injury this offseason with Cleveland Browns wide receiver and former Giants teammate Odell Beckham Jr.

According to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, Barkley said:

"Only thing I do know that I have planned for sure, I'm definitely going to link up with [Odell]. Obviously Odell tore his knee a little too. I think we both need just being there. We're really good friends. Competing with each other and pushing each other will also be good too. That's the only thing I know for certain I will do. Everything else is up in the air."

Both Barkley and Beckham had their 2020 seasons cut short because of torn ACLs, and they underwent surgery less than two weeks apart.

In addition to OBJ, Barkley mentioned the possibility of rehabbing with some other NFL stars who suffered torn ACLs this season as well:

"Every year we always link up with him at some point, somewhere. Definitely going to find a way to link up. Obviously I would love to, any of those guys that are going through this injury, whether it's [Cincinnati Bengals quarterback] Joe [Burrow], [Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers Devin] Bush, Bud [Dupree], there a couple guys, any guy, I think it would be really dope if we could all link up."

It remains to be seen if any of the other players will work out with Barkley, but his existing relationship with Beckham makes rehabbing with the Browns star a clear likelihood.

Barkley's rookie season in 2018 was also Beckham's final year with the Giants. Beckham was limited to 12 games that year because of injury, but he still managed 77 receptions for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns.

Beckham hasn't been quite the same player since he was traded, as he mustered just 74 grabs for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games this season, and 23 catches for 319 yards and three scores in seven games before getting injured this season.

Barkley has also struggled to return to the heights he reached in 2018 when he was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

That season, the No. 2 overall draft pick rushed for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns while also catching 91 passes for 721 yards and four scores. The Penn State product led the entire NFL as a rookie in total yards from scrimmage with 2,028.

A knee injury cost him three games in 2019 and limited him to 1,003 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, and he played in only two games last season, rushing for 34 yards on 19 carries.

Barkley has faced no shortage of adversity during his young NFL career, but at just 23 years of age, he has plenty of time to bounce back and return to form as one of the NFL's best running backs.

Beckham is much further along in his career at 28 years old, but he has plenty to be optimistic about after watching his Browns just reach the AFC Divisional Round.

Barkley and Beckham are two of the league's most dynamic talents on offense, and if they are able to return at full strength next season, their respective teams will be much better off for it.