Coming off ACL surgery the season before, Saquon Barkley’s 2021 campaign left a lot to be desired.
The former Pro Bowler who rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons managed just 593 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns, as injuries again were a factor and limited the 25-year-old to 13 games.
But with another year removed from his knee surgery, Barkley says he feels closer to his best self than he has since the injury in Week 2 of the 2020 season.
“I feel a lot better than I felt at this point last year," Barkley said. “My body feels good. My body feels strong, feel like I got my strength back, feel like I got my speed back. Feel like I can trust my knee again, trust in myself to make plays and not think about it.”
Does that mean Barkley is headed for a return to form in a contract season?
“It’s really early,” Barkley said. “I can’t make too many predictions for the future, but it is what it is. I think I’ve said it before, when the tables turn, just make sure you’re on that side of the table. Stay on that side.”
Barkley could be deployed differently this season under new head coach Brian Daboll, potentially spending less time in the backfield than he did with Jason Garrett calling plays. Barkley is still learning the new playbook, but he hopes it will maximize his ability and help along a big bounceback season.
“Any time for me, I feel like whenever I can get the ball in space, I feel like that’s when I’m at my best,” Barkley said. “I feel like I got the confidence now, whether it’s in between tackles, outside the tackles, out wide or wherever, especially when you have confidence in your body again, I feel like I’m capable to help the team.
"Whether it’s 91 catches, whether it’s less than that, whether it’s more than that, the main thing is we want to win.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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