Former coach and current NFL analyst Bill Cowher believes the New York Giants should add another back to balance Saquon Barkley.
There’s no way to downplay what New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley was able to do during his rookie season. The former Penn State Nittany Lion rushed for 1307 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 91 balls for 721 yards and four touchdowns. His 2028 yards from scrimmage made him only the third rookie running back in NFL history to surpass that 2000-yard mark.
However, former coach and current analyst Bill Cowher thinks the Giants can do even more to improve the running game.
Cowher, like many, was impressed by what Barkley was able to do in his rookie year. However, he also thinks the Giants should add another effective running back. This back would, therefore, balance the workload with Barkley and keep defenses on their toes even more.
“He’s a guy who has proven to be very durable, and I think his ceiling is endless,” Cowher said on the NFL on CBS Super Bowl press conference. “He’s one of those guys that is going to give you that kind of production year in and year out.”
“I would just go out and get another guy,” the former Steelers head coach suggested. “I think that’s the one thing we’re seeing in the league right now. Todd Gurley gets worn down, but all of a sudden C.J. Anderson comes in. You see the Patriots, and how they’ve taken to using Sony Michel and James White, and Rex Burkhead. It allows you to have a sustainable running game, because you’re not wearing down just one back. I think a guy like Saquon Barkley is a very special back, and where the was drafted was very appropriate.”
Cowher does have a point. Barkley can’t be on the field for every offensive snap. And when he wasn’t on the field, the run game just wasn’t nearly as effective.
Giants running back Wayne Gallman only rushed for 176 yards in 2018 on 51 attempts, an average of 3.5 yards per carry. Jonathan Stewart, on the other hand, only rushed for 17 yards on six attempts before being placed on season-ending IR in late September.
