Reporter suggests Giants could draft Saquon Barkley replacement

Vacchiano is hardly the first individual to mention the idea of the Giants grabbing an inexpensive ball carrier during the player-selection process. 

Giants beat writer Bob Brookover of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com and NFL reporter Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post suggested that the Giants could draft a to-be rookie running back and then rescind the unsigned franchise tag used to retain Barkley's rights for 2023 if the two sides didn't come to terms on a long-term agreement by this point of the offseason. Such a decision would make Barkley a free agent.

As Mark Wogenrich of FanNation's All Penn State pointed out last Sunday, Barkley has given "no indication" when or if he will sign the franchise tender worth roughly $10.1M for 2023. The Giants and Barkley have until the July 17 deadline for teams to sign tagged players to work things out before the 26-year-old would be locked in at the $10.1M value unless he forfeits money by staying away from the club through the start of regular-season play. 

Just last week, Giants general manager Joe Schoen directly admitted he didn't "know" Barkley's plans after it was reported the 2018 first-round pick had "a three-year deal in the $13M per season range on the table earlier this offseason" that's no longer available now that he's on the tag.

 Even if Barkley ultimately decides to play for Big Blue later this year, he could end up becoming essentially a one-year rental while a rookie learns about life in the NFL as a backup beneath the two-time Pro Bowl selection on the depth chart.