Saquon Barkley out 1-2 months with high ankle sprain

Saquon Barkley was going to miss some time with an ankle injury, and a 4-8 week timetable has been reported.

With the excitement of a comeback engineered by Daniel Jones in his first NFL start, the New York Giants lost star running back Saquon Barkley during Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported Barkley is expected to miss 4-8 weeks with a high ankle sprain.

According to Schefter, a longer timeline is considered more likely for Barkley. The Giants have their bye in Week 11, which would be the full eight weeks to recover with the idea he would return for the final six games.

Wayne Gallman is slated to step in as the Giants’s clear-cut No. 1 running back now, with only Elijhaa Penny behind him on the current roster. So the team is surely going to look to add a running, with Jay Ajayi and Alfred Morris standing out among the available options.

The bigger question is what the Giants will do with Barkley if he is unable to return until the high end of his 4-8 week timetable. They are 1-2, with a winnable game coming in Week 4 against the Washington Redskins. But if Tampa Bay kicker Matt Gay hadn’t missed a late field goal on Sunday, and two extra points earlier in the game, the Giants would be 0-3.

Let’s say the Giants are 4-6 going into their bye, assuming wins over the Redskins in Week 4, the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7 and the New York Jets in Week 10. They could talk themselves into thinking they’re a playoff contender, with the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles on the slate from Week 12-14 as a reality check.

It’s a conversation that won’t be had for a while, and no one wants to harsh the buzz around the Giants right now. But if there are any issues with Barkley’s recovery and the team has faded from playoff contention, the latter of which feels like a safe bet, shutting him down for the season will have to be a consideration.