After suffering his first NFL injuries -- a mild hamstring strain -- Giants rookie RB Saquon Barkley has been watching practice from afar. Well, the sideline to be exact.

Barkley, who sat out of practice all last week while the Giants were in Detroit, returned to the field Monday. He has been mostly restricted to individual drills on the side, with a few team reps coming on Wednesday.

For any rookie, making a great first impression on their new coaches is what each one strives to do. And while Barkley wants to participate in any way he can to get ready for the regular season, he knows the Giants are being cautious with him for a reason: They don't want to see a mild injury turn into a severe one anytime soon.

"Obviously I would love to be out there and to play as quickly as I can, but that's part of the game," Barkley said after practice Wednesday. "Injuries are a part of the game. That's even in the role or position I am right now. There's some guys that don't take as much reps as they would like and still have to go out there every single week and produce. I have to take that mindset and when my time is called and when I'm able to play, I need to be 100 percent ready."

Getting limited practice time is something that Barkley seen in the past. While playing for Penn State, he explained that his coaches didn't give him a heavy workload each week, but he was expected to perform at the highest level on Saturdays.

But that was different than now. Barkley wasn't injured during those Nittany Lion practices, and he is a freshman all over again. Being the competitor that he is, the 21-year-old feels like he can get back on the field right now and perform at that high level.

The Giants, though, want to be 100 percent sure that's the case. And Barkley knows he must take a deep breath and wait his turn.

"Personally, the way I feel, my body feels, I'll be honest, I feel good, feel pretty good," he admitted. "I've been moving pretty well, but that's what the trainers get paid for. They tell me stories all the time and I talk to other guys, even guys like O (Beckham Jr.) that hurt their hamstring before. It's when you feel 100 percent and that's when you give it that push, boom, and it happens again as a setback."

So, with the Giants facing off against the Jets in the annual preseason MetLife Bowl on Friday, it is safe to say Barkley won't be stepping between the lines for this one. Being the No. 2 overall pick and hopeful savior of a lousy running game these past few seasons, it makes more sense to save him for Week 1, then force preseason reps now.

And Barkley seems to agree.

"I don't want any setbacks at all, so that's why I've been trying to be a team player there," he said. "Just listen and follow the instructions and I know they have a great game plan set out for me and when it's time for me and when they feel I'm ready, that's when I'll be ready."

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