Saquon Barkley ankle injury: Brian Daboll calls RB day-to-day; Giants star hoping to face Seahawks in Week 4

Giants coach Brian Daboll has labeled Saquon Barkley as day-to-day as the Pro Bowl running back continues to deal with an ankle injury. Barkley, who sustained the injury during New York’s come-from-behind win over Arizona in Week 2, is hoping to be ready for the team’s upcoming Monday night matchup against the Seahawks. 

Barkley said last week that he suffered a high ankle sprain. While some had predicted that he would miss several weeks, it appears that Barkley is ahead of schedule regarding his recovery. Whatever progress he continues to make over the next six days will ultimately determine his status against Seattle. 

It’s safe to assume that the Giants will monitor Barkley’s reps during this week’s practices. Basically, the Giants need to make sure that Barkley is healthy enough to play while also being able to play at or near his current level of performance. 

When healthy, there aren’t many players better than Barkley. A two-time Pro Bowler, he was a key cog in the Giants’ surprise playoff run last season. Barkley gained 1,650 all-purpose yards in 16 regular season games before tallying 106 total yards and a pair of scores in New York’s upset over Minnesota in the wild card round. He was playing at his usual Pro Bowl level through two games this season prior to sustaining the ankle injury. 

Barkley’s presence was missed during the Giants’ 30-12 loss in San Francisco. Without Barkley, the offense gained a meager 121 yards that included just 29 yards on the ground. New York’s 11 rushing attempts were the fewest by a Giants team in a game since 1989.