Can Brian Daboll's New-Look Giants Offense Save Saquon Barkley's Career?

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley entered the NFL as a supposed generational talent. Beyond a promising first season, he's been anything but an elite playmaker. 

His career now sits at a crossroads with a new regime in place. Head coach Brian Daboll can unlock the potential that once made Barkley look like a future star, or the Giants may look to move on from the 2018 second overall pick at some point within a year.

A short shelf life due to the physicality required to play the position coupled with the ability to find quality performers at a low price have devalued the running back position. But previous Giants general manager Dave Gettleman thought differently, bucked positional value and made Barkley the highest-drafted running back since Reggie Bush went second overall in 2006. 

"I think a lot of that is nonsense," Gettleman told reporters when asked about positional value shortly after Barkley's selection. "I think it's someone who had this idea and got into the analytics of it, and did all these running backs and went through their whatever. ... I don't believe in it [positional value]."

His stubbornness may have hastened his retirement.

In Year 1, Barkley dazzled when he led the league with 2,028 yards from scrimmage, made the pro Bowl and became the Offensive Rookie of the Year. Over the next three seasons, the running back totaled 2,391 yards. 

Barkley fought through a high-ankle sprain during his sophomore campaign, suffered a torn ACL in 2020 and dealt with a balky ankle last season. He hasn't looked like the same dynamic threat since his rookie campaign.

"You don't screw up the special ones when you are a talent evaluator. This guy is special," a general manager told NFL.com's Lance Zierlein prior to the 2018 draft. "Any concerns you file on him just feels like nitpicking to fill out the report."

Much like the term generational talent, the descriptor "total package" is often overused. Barkley was treated like a unicorn coming into the league because of his rare combination of size, strength, athleticism and ability to affect games as a runner and pass-catcher.

Barkley's relative athletic score (RAS) ranks him among the top five most athletic running backs over the last 35 years, according to Pro Football Network's Kent Lee Platte. He's a 6'0", 232-pound ball-carrier with tree trunks for legs, baby-soft hands and 4.4-second 40-yard dash speed. 

Despite being a near-perfect prospect, Barkley couldn't escape the same issues other running backs face.

The Tennessee Titans' Derrick Henry is the game's premier workhorse, yet he missed nine games last season with a Jones facture in his right foot. The Cleveland Browns' Nick Chubb shares the backfield, meaning he doesn't take on the same type of workload, and he's still missed seven games over the last two seasons. 

The pounding takes its toll over time. The solution in New York is to use Barkley less as a true running back and more as an offensive weapon.

"I'd say I've had some good running backs in my career," Daboll told reporters during organized team activities last week. "But Saquon is a unique guy. If you go back, I've watched all of his tape all the way back from his rookie year when he had [91] catches. He's a versatile player ... I'm excited to work with him."

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Daboll spent four seasons as the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator before being named the Giants' head coach. During that stretch, no back on the Bills roster managed more than 870 rushing yards in a singular season, though players at the position were often a part of the passing game as both pass-catchers and blockers.

In general, quarterback Josh Allen determined the success of the offense as the Bills coaching staff put more on his shoulders with each passing season. Last year, Allen posted a career high with 646 passing attempts, which ranked fourth overall. The Bills had at least three wide receivers on the field for 80 percent of their snaps last season, according to Sharp Football. For comparison, New York used multiple-receiver sets on 63 percent of its offensive plays. In fact, Buffalo ran 255 more plays than New York from 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers). 
 
To be fair, Buffalo running back Devin Singletary isn't Barkley, and Giants quarterback Daniel Jones certainly isn't Allen. As such, Daboll will make adjustments based on available talent.
 
"You try to do as much work as you can on these guys before they get here to see what have they been successful at and figure out how to use them in the things that they've excelled at," Daboll said at the league meetings in March. "But you've got to see them do the things you're going to ask them to do in the offense, and there's plays we're going through right now that, heck, if these guys want to turn inside on this route, let's figure it out when they get here and ask them."

How everyone looks at Barkley should change to some degree. He's still an amazing talent if healthy. He can be a 1,000-yard back again. At the same time, his increased implementation in the passing game could enter him into a different category of backs who create an all-around impact.

Those players don't need to be traditional backs. Alvin Kamara and Carolina's Christian McCaffrey aren't. They're dynamic playmakers with the ball in their hands. The goal should be to feature them as much as possible in a way that takes away some of the consistent body blows a traditional back faces on a down-by-down basis. They both have still dealt with injuries, but they're not nearly as thick or as compactly built as Barkley is. 

Additions along the offensive line, including Mark Glowinski, Jon Feliciano and 2022 seventh overall pick Evan Neal, should make life a little easier on Barkley and the rest of the Giants' skill-position players. However, New York can strike a balance, using Barkley out of the backfield and even as a wide receiver.

Jones' growth will likely become a big part of this transition. The quarterback can form a symbiotic relationship with the running back so the pair can help take pressure off each other. As Daboll and his staff continue their evaluation of these previous top-10 picks, difficult decisions could be forthcoming.

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The 25-year-old Barkley will play under his fifth-year rookie option in 2022. How much of an impact he can create under Daboll's supervision will determine whether he's a member of the Giants for the entirety of this campaign and into next offseason. If his performance doesn't necessitate an extension, the organization may even try to trade him before this year's deadline in an effort to gain assets for future roster improvements. 

Basically, the G-men find themselves in a transitory phase. A strong offseason created some excitement, though expectations should be tempered in an NFC East in which the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles feature better rosters and the Washington Commanders should be improved. New York is likely a year or two away from consistently competing in the division and entering in the postseason discussion.

Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen should give Barkley every opportunity to show he's still the same player who took the league by storm as a rookie by making him the focal point of the offense.
 
"I think, one, the energy that he's bringing and the conversations about the way he's going to relate the offense to the players and make the system work for the players," Barkley told reporters in February when asked about his initial impression of Daboll and the new regime. "Obviously, I think with Joe Schoen, what he's going to do in free agency and the draft to build the team. I think we have the talent on the team. I truly don't think we’re that far. We just have to keep working."

The sunk cost of Barkley's original draft status doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is whether Daboll can maximize the running back's abilities. The best thing for all parties is to put the ball in Barkley's hands as part of a new-look offense and let his play determine which direction the franchise should go. He's capable of being so much more than what's been seen so far, as long as the coach adjusts his scheme, uses Barkley as the focal point of the offense and makes him a much bigger part of the passing game. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.