Could Giants RB Saquon Barkley miss start of 2021 season?

Back in April, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley was on track to return from the torn ACL he suffered last September in time to face the Denver Broncos in Week 1 of the upcoming season. 

Per Jordan Raanan of ESPN, Barkley told reporters Wednesday he's thus far pleased with his recovery but wouldn't guarantee he'll be in the lineup on Sept. 12. 

"You know me. I'm going to take it one day at a time. Just come in with my head down and ready to work," Barkley said of a potential return date. "It's going to be whenever my body tells me I'm ready or I'm able to show everyone I'm ready again. That's when I'm going to be able to go out there and hopefully be elite, what I was before but even better." 

He added: "I'm going to take it one day at a time. Whenever I'm able to, I guess you can say, go out there and participate with the team again, I'll be ready." 

Raanan noted that Barkley may not see live in-game situations on the field "until October" if he isn't 100% by then, which would put even more pressure on quarterback Daniel Jones less than a full year before the Giants need to decide on Jones' fifth-year option.