In his short time with the New York Giants, Rod Smith has already realized that Saquon Barkley is the real deal.
Rod Smith has played the majority of the last four years with the Dallas Cowboys. However, this offseason, he entered free agency for the first time. Smith ended up signing with a division rival, the New York Giants.
Smith played behind one of the league’s best running backs, Ezekiel Elliott, during his time with the Cowboys. When Elliott was suspended six games in 2017 Smith totaled a career-high 232 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Now Smith will back-up another top-tier rusher. He is currently competing for the third-string running back spot with Paul Perkins and Jonathan Hilliman.
Throughout his time competing in OTAs, Smith has already noticed Saquon Barkley‘s talents.
#Giants RB Rod Smith says RB Saquon Barkley is "the engine of the team." pic.twitter.com/wpkHckF9EH
— Mark Lane (@therealmarklane) June 28, 2019
Like many, Smith marvels over the work ethic and athleticism of Saquon Barkley.
Barkley had one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history. The Penn State phenom had 1,307 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He also complemented this ground production with 721 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. This totaled 2,028 scrimmage yards, third all-time for rookies.
For the 2019 season, Barkley has said that he now wants to bring his play to the next level. What the next level is, no one knows yet.
However, this may be very possible for Barkley due to the improved conditions around him. He will be running behind a much improved offensive line featuring newcomers Kevin Zeitler and Mike Remmers. And if the talk of Barkley dominating this offseason is true he will most definitely be a scary sight for NFL defenses.
