Giants RB Saquon Barkley could return sooner rather than later

He suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since, New York Giants’ second-year running back Saquon Barkley has made steady progress in his recovery from the injury.

Saquon Barkley has continued to speed through the rehab. Now he has been able to get back on the practice field to run through drills without any hindrance. (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk)

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Barkley was on the practice field with the Giants this morning. In the video from Art Stapleton of the Bergen Record Barkley appears able to run and change direction comfortably.

This has only further fueled the talk that Barkley will be back in the mix well before the 4-to-8 original timetable for his injury. There are now reports suggesting that he is targeting next Thursday’s game for his return. Playing against the New England Patriots would be a bell of a comeback.

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This will put him around three weeks after suffering the injury, which would be remarkably quick given the type of ailment he’s dealing with. It’s something that he can reinjure if not handled properly and keep him out of the lineup much longer than expected.

Backup Wayne Gallman has shown he can be a reliable option in place of Barkley as he had 63 rushing yards on 18 carries with a touchdown along with six catches for 55 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 24-3 win over the Washington Redskins. It may have only been one game, but Gallman has shown he can be a dual-threat asset in the offense that provides another valuable weapon to the mix.