Joe Judge not looking to rush Saquon Barkley back to Giants: 'We’ve got to look at the long-term picture'

There is no doubt that Joe Judge wants Saquon Barkley back on the field as soon as possible. But he has no plans to rush him – not even if it means he’s not ready to play by Week 1.

“We’ve got to look at the long-term picture with Saquon,” Judge told SNY in an interview last week. “We’ve got to make the right decision for the team long term. That could include long term throughout this season, long-term throughout a career.

“So I always want to do what’s best for the player in a situation like this, to make sure we don’t put him in a position that’s going to put him at risk because he isn’t ready.”

That is an understandably cautious approach considering that the last two seasons for Barkley have been mostly ruined by injuries. After an outstanding rookie year, he suffered a badly sprained ankle that cost him three games and hampered him the rest of the season. Then last year he was lost to the Giants after he tore his ACL in Week 2.

Barkley underwent surgery to repair that injury last October – nine months ago – and by all accounts his rehab and recovery have been going well and on schedule. But both Barkley and the Giants have been vague about what that schedule is.

Barkley said earlier this week that he doesn’t really know because “rehab is never a straight line.” Judge made it clear that from the Giants’ perspective it’s because they want Barkley to be fully recovered. They don’t want to push him just for the sake of one or two games in a 17-game season.

They want to make sure that when Barkley returns, he returns for good.

“Whenever he comes back we’re going to make sure he’s ready to go and that he can physically perform the way he can,” Judge said. “Obviously he’s a very talented player. We missed having him last year. To be honest with you, we’re anxious to get him back out there. He’s really put in a ton of work. He’s demonstrated a lot of commitment this offseason. You can really see his passion and commitment to the game. Look, he’s excited. We’re all excited for him.

“But that time will come soon enough. We just want to make sure we put him out there when it’s right for him and right for the team.”

As for when that will be, Judge said that will be up to the team doctors. It likely won’t be any time soon, especially with Barkley opening camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. And it would be a shock to see him in a preseason game, since Judge said that whenever Barkley does return to the field, the plan will be to take it slow.

“When the doctors say it’s time to incorporate him into practice with the rest of the team we’ll get him going,” Judge said. “Look, we’re not going to go and throw him zero to 100 right away. We’ll build him up and let him gain confidence and gain experience and reps. And when it’s time to go an introduce him against opponents, we will.”