New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Giants taking long-term approach with Saquon Barkley

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 7/27/21

There is still some mystery regarding when Saquon Barkley will return to the gridiron. There is less secrecy, however, with regard to how the New York Giants view his return.

In an exclusive interview with ESPN's Jordan Raanan, Giants head coach Joe Judge revealed the team isn't rushing the running back to return before he is 100 percent ready.

The #Giants plan to take a “long term” approach with Saquon Barkley, coach Joe Judge told me in a 1-on-1 interview. Still a chance he’s ready for Week 1 though. More to come.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) July 26, 2021

Barkley has been cautious when commenting on when he will return to playing full-time. He recently revealed he feels "pretty good" since missing the bulk of last season after suffering a torn right ACL in Week 2 but couldn't offer up an exact timeline with regard to whether he will participate in training camp out not.

The belief now is Barkley will miss training camp and be ready to return for Week 1, although — as Judge revealed to Raanan — that doesn't look set in stone either.

The Giants open up the regular season at home against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 12.

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