Saquon Barkley telling people he will return from ankle injury sooner than expected

Saquon Barkley suffered a high-ankle sprain during last week’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is expected to miss several games, but the star running back is determined to get back on the field quicker than others who have dealt with the same injury.

Barkley’s estimated time for recovery has been somewhere in the range of six to eight weeks, but Kim Jones of NFL Network said Sunday that he has been telling people he can beat that timeline.

Per @KimJonesSports, #Giants RB Saquon Barkley is already telling people he can beat the timetable for recovery from a high-ankle sprain, while the team training staff will make sure he’s cautious enough.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 29, 2019

Barkley saw a specialist during the week who determined he does not need surgery, which is a positive sign. However, the Giants are probably not going to allow their former first-round pick to return before he is 100 percent healthy. Even if Barkley is willing to play hurt, it will be up to the team’s training staff to determine whether or not he is at risk of suffering a setback.

The ankle injury is not as bad as it could have been given how it looked, but Barkley and rookie quarterback Daniel Jones are the future of the Giants’ offense. There’s no sense risking anything in a season where they are unlikely to make the playoffs.