Despite restrictions, Giants running back Saquon Barkley takes important step forward in practice

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – There were three things Saquon Barkley disliked about Giants practice against the Patriots on Thursday.

The first was his wardrobe. The Giants decked him out in a red non-contact jersey, making him stand out more than he normally does, and ensuring that no one would inadvertently deliver a hit on him that could make for a setback in his return from ACL surgery last fall.

"I hate it," he said. "I hate it. But you have to do what you have to do."

The second was a play in a two-minute drill late in workout when he caught a pass over the middle while being trailed on his crossing route by linebacker Kyle Van Noy. The officials blew the play dead shortly after Barkley pulled in the pass from Daniel Jones.

"I think I would have gotten a lot more than we got credit for," he groused. "They blew the whistle and maybe there is a different outcome there."

The third was that he could not do any more than the team prescribed for him. That meant a meager workload of four reps in seven-on-seven drills and four total reps in 11-on-11 team action against the Patriots divided into two snaps each in two separate practice periods.

"As a competitor you want to stay in," Barkley said.

But Barkley’s bellyaching only served to underscore just how positive Thursday was in the big picture journey of his return to action for the team. They may have been meaningless plays in the grand scheme of things, but the fact Barkley was able to get through them, and apparently without much difficulty, made them some of the most significant reps of the preseason.

Giants teammates certainly thought so.

"It’s awesome," linebacker Blake Martinez said of seeing Barkley’s return to action, abbreviated though it was. "He’s an amazing player, amazing leader. We’re just excited to have him out there."

Added safety Logan Ryan: "He brings a lot of energy to our team. He’s obviously one of our better players and it’s good to see him feeling like himself, bouncing around and getting some action."

Besides the things Barkley disliked, there were things he was pleased with. One of them was that last play he was involved in, the catch across the middle, his third reception in the practice. It was, he said, the first time since his surgery that he’s made a football play without thinking about his knee.

"That kind of naturally happens," he said. "The stuff that was easiest for me in the rehab process was assimilating the football stuff. When someone starts going out and throwing the football to you that takes your mind off it, so that’s a positive sign."

Barkley wouldn’t say whether he’ll be ready for opening day – he noted his "day-to-day" approach and walked away when asked directly about his availability for Sept. 12 against the Broncos – but said he looks forward to increasing his work in practice in the coming weeks and meeting Joe Judge’s requirement that he gets hit before he can play in a real game.

"Yeah, that’s the next thing," Barkley said. "We’re at the point in the process where I am allowed to take team reps and stuff is going to happen naturally, especially throughout the couple more weeks coming up… I just have to continue to be patient and when I have the opportunities take advantage of them. "

For that contact to happen, of course, Barkley will have to ditch the red jersey. That will make him happy.

Almost as happy as being back on the field playing football.

"I said in the locker room, I don’t care if it’s pink, orange, yellow, whatever color it is," he said, "as long as I’m able get out there and take some reps with my team, that’s all that matters."

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.