RB Barkley uncertain for return vs. Dolphins
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins after being limited at practice throughout the week because of his ankle injury.
Barkley took some team reps this week for the first time he was injured Sept. 17 at Arizona during the Giants’ only win of the season. But the Pro Bowl running back looked to be moving somewhat gingerly and needed his right ankle retaped during the early portion of Friday’s practice.
Barkley would likely need to make progress to be ready for Sunday, even if he has made some strides.
“I’d definitely say I’m in a better spot than where I was last Thursday,” Barkley said earlier this week. “So definitely encouraged, but I don’t want to make any guarantees. Continuing to trust in my body and trust in the training staff and go from there.”
If Barkley is able to go, it will be behind a makeshift offensive line. Three linemen — left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring), center John Michael Schmitz (shoulder) and guard Shane Lemieux (groin), all who have started games this season — were ruled out with injuries.
Thomas, an All-Pro left tackle, will miss his fourth straight game.
Matt Breida will again start if Barkley is unable to go. Josh Ezeudu is expected to remain at left tackle in Thomas’ place while Ben Bredeson shifts to center for Schmitz.
Coach Brian Daboll noted that Barkley has “made progress” this week. He participated in team drills and was able to do some lateral cutting. The Giants still need to be convinced that Barkley can protect himself for a significant workload in a live environment.
“I’d say we’ll go through [Friday] and talk about it like we normally do after practice and then make our decisions,” Daboll said.
It’s possible the Giants (1-3) take the decision up until game day, according to Daboll.
Barkley has maintained that he is sticking to the plan and said he will return when his body insists it’s right. Playing on a revised franchise tag, Barkley has said he will not allow his contract situation to affect his timeline.
He has already missed two games, with the Giants losing both by a combined 39 points. The original timeline was that the injury would force Barkley to miss three games.
For a player with his competitive spirit, it has been tough for Barkley to sit and watch from the sideline.
“It sucks. It sucks,” Barkley said. “As a competitor, you want to be out there, and you go back and look at film every game whether you play in it or you don’t. You think, ‘Is there anything else I could have done different if I was in this play or if I was here or there?’ That’s not any diss to Gary [Brightwell] or Breida; those guys have been doing a great job coming in and making plays for us. But as a player, you want to be out there, and I’ll try my best.”
The Giants have an NFL-worst minus-76 point differential this season and have lost by double-digits in each of their three prime-time games.
It has created a turbulent start to the season, especially after right tackle Evan Neal took aim at fans earlier this week. The heat and criticism on Daboll & Co. after a playoff season has picked up steam after the 24-3 loss Monday night to the Seattle Seahawks.
“The goal every week is to put the best product out on the field. We haven’t done that,” Daboll said. “I own that, but you’re going to face adversity in this business 100% of the time. I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but that’s inevitable, so how you choose to handle adversity is optional. So you try to be strong in your leadership, tell things the way that they need to said, improve and get ready to go out there and play another game.”
Again potentially without two of their best offensive players in Barkley and Thomas.
1.2K
HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders are giving three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby a $6 million raise for the upcoming season without adding any years to his contract, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.
The Raiders are also moving $1.2 million from his 2026 salary into the 2025 season, sources said.
Crosby, a fourth-round draft pick of the Raiders in 2019 out of Eastern Michigan, has become the face of the franchise since signing a four-year extension with $95 million in new money and more than $53 million guaranteed on March 11, 2022.
Since then, he has racked up 27 of his 52 career sacks while twice finishing in the top six of NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting and being named a second-team All-Pro last season, when he had a career-best 14.5 sacks. Crosby was a second-team All-Pro selection after the 2021 season and Pro Bowl defensive MVP in 2022.
“I don’t know whether my rookie year seems like 20 years ago or two days ago,” Crosby said at the start of Las Vegas’ offseason workout program in April. “Like, it’s crazy to me.
“But yeah, it’s been a blessing. I mean, it’s been a damn journey, and for me, all that matters at the end of the day is winning, winning for this organization. I pour my heart and soul into this, and I want to be the best leader and teammate I can be on a daily basis, and being a Raider is something that’s special to me. I’ve got real relationships from the owner all the way down to the janitor. I’m here every day for a reason. It’s like a family. There’s not many teams that operate like we do, and we’ve just got to translate that to winning, and it’s just exciting to get things rolling again.”
Crosby, who turns 27 in August, was due to have base salaries of $19.01 million, $21.038 million and $21.038 million the next three seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
It is rare for a team to give a player a raise without adding any additional years to the contract. Crosby has been lauded for being a constant presence at the team facility for offseason workouts.
“By example, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., every day,” coach Antonio Pierce said at the owners meetings in March. “Every day [Crosby] shows up ready to work. So when you’ve got those kinds of guys in your building, either vocally or by example, you’ve got a good culture and a good place.”
Crosby also has served as an inspiration in going public with his battle for sobriety since spending part of the offseason following his rookie season in rehab.
