It was suggested ahead of this past weekend by former NFL quarterback and WFAN radio host Boomer Esiason, among others, that the New York Giants should look to shop running back Saquon Barkley, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, before the Nov. 1 trade deadline. That was before Barkley produced yet another stellar outing and rushed for 146 yards in Sunday's 20-12 home win over the Chicago Bears that improved Big Blue to 3-1 on the season.
Per Jake Brown of the New York Post, Giants beat writer Paul Schwartz seemed to hit out at Esiason and like-minded individuals during Monday's edition of the "Blue Rush" podcast.
"Paul says anybody that said the Giants should trade Saquon is ridiculous," Brown noted. "He made something out of nothing many times on Sunday. Games like this are why you take him No. 2 overall."
Schwartz gave his game-ball to Barkley as the podcast added that "there is no offense without Saquon." New York's much-maligned wide receivers once again failed quarterback Daniel Jones on Sunday before Jones went down with an ankle sprain in the third quarter of the win.
Giants WR room v. Bears
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) October 2, 2022
Darius Slayton 1 catch 11 yards
Richie James 1 catch 9 yards
David Sills 1 catch 5 yards
Kenny Golladay 0 catches 0 yards
overall, 3 catches on 8 targets
Jones rushed for 68 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.
Meanwhile, ESPN stats show that Barkley began Monday leading the entire NFL with 463 rushing yards and 84 carries this season. The second overall pick of the 2018 draft has also contributed two rushing scores to go along with 15 receptions for 107 yards.
Barkley and company will next hit the road to face the 3-1 Green Bay Packers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London this coming Sunday with both Jones and backup option Tyrod Taylor dealing with setbacks. As Jordan Raanan mentioned for ESPN, head coach Brian Daboll hasn't yet ruled Jones out due to the ankle problem, while Taylor is in the concussion protocol because of the head injury he suffered against Chicago.
Third-string choice Davis Webb is next up on the Giants depth chart. He's never thrown a pass in a meaningful NFL game.
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