Barkley went down with a knee injury in Week 2 last season and had surgery on a torn ACL. Before the injury, he had just 19 carries last season after back-to-back 1000+ yard seasons to start his NFL career.
The former Penn State star was the 2019 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year with 1,307 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He caught 91 passes as a rookie for 721 yards and four scores before rushing for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns in 2020.
Without Barkley last season, the Giants offense struggled in their first season with Jason Garrett as Offensive Coordinator. Wayne Gallman led the team with 682 rushing yards but has since signed with the San Francisco 49ers. Quarterback Daniel Jones was the second-leading rusher as Devonta Freeman also went down injured, and Alfred Morris struggled.
The Giants have a month to get Barkley ready for the September 12 opener against the Denver Broncos. Former Raiders running back Devontae Booker and former Eagles back Corey Clement are also in camp. The Giants drafted Gary Brightwell in the sixth round out of Arizona to round out the backup competition.
The Giants are Week 1 home underdogs against the Broncos at +1. They are +450 to win the NFC East behind the Cowboys (+130) and Washington (+230).
The Giants win total is set at seven, with the under at +110 and the over at -130. Barkley is the top non-quarterback option to win Comeback Player of the Year at +750, just ahead of Christian McCaffrey (+850). Dak Prescott (+210) is the favorite, with Joe Burrow (+700) in second.
Curtis Samuel Injured in Washington
In other NFC East news, the Washington Football Team has yet to see free-agent signee Curtis Samuel on the field in practice. The former Carolina Panthers wideout is on the PUP list with a groin injury and also spent time on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
The good news is that Samuel already knows the offense as he played in it with the Panthers when current WFT OC Scott Turner was calling plays for the Panthers. The bad news is that Washington needs Samuel on the field to build chemistry with new quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Samuel had his best NFL season in 2020 with 77 catches for 851 yards, both career-highs. He had three touchdowns after hauling in six in 2019. In four seasons with Carolina, Samuel caught 185 passes for 2,087 yards and 14 touchdowns while also rushing for 478 yards and five scores.
Samuel was signed in the off-season to play opposite wideout Terry McLaurin, who had a breakout 2020 campaign in Washington. McLaurin caught 87 passes in 15 games for 1,118 yards and 4 scores. Both Samuel and McLaurin came out of Ohio State, and they were teammates in Columbus in 2015 and 2016.
Washington opens the season on Sunday, September 12, at home against the Los Angeles Chargers. They are slight favorites at -1, with the total set at 44 points.
The defending NFC East champions are +230 to repeat, with the Cowboys as the favorites. Their win total is set at 8.5, with the under and over at the same -110 odds.