Saquon Barkley updates progress, doing “really well” in rehab

New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley shared the kind of news Giants fans have been longing to see from him. The news? That his rehab from the torn ACL he suffered against the Chicago Bears is going well.

Barkley gave the update fans have been waiting to hear on the AP Football podcast.

“I’m doing really well in rehab,” Barkley said. “Very lucky to have a great team around me, great trainers, great doctors. Everyone has been very beneficial to me and very helpful to me. So whenever the opportunity I’m able to get back on the football field with my team, I’m definitely going to cherish that moment and I just honestly can’t wait for that day to happen soon.”

But even with four months of rehab behind him, Barkley still has an arduous path back to the field. Not only does he have to re-strengthen the joint and surrounding muscles, balance the strength between his legs, and make sure there isn’t a risk of a compensation injury, he needs to make sure he has confidence in his knee — and himself.

“You have to start all over and you have to teach yourself how to walk, jog, run, sprint, cut and all that stuff again,” Barkley told the AP Football Podcast. “But the mental part, especially when I hurt myself, at the moment I felt I was letting all my teammates down. To watch those guys on Sundays was very emotional. But everything happens for a reason. I have to continue to work. You control the things I can control and let the rest take over.”

Generally speaking, the timeline for a player to return from ACL surgery is about 10 months, though fans should remember that while Barkley suffered the injury on Sept. 20th, he wasn’t able to have surgery until Oct. 30th. That would put his return to the field some time around August, but even then player and team will want to take things slow to minimize risk of re-injury.

Barkley still has a long path back to the field, but the good news along the way is certainly welcome.