CHICAGO — One of the reasons oft-repeated by the Giants to justify taking Saquon Barkley so high in the 2018 draft is that they called him “generational’’ and insisted labeling him as a running back was putting him a box that could not contain him. They preferred describing him as a “weapon,” and Barkley’s uncanny ability to catch everything thrown his way and run routes with the aplomb of a wide receiver meant he was uber-valuable.
Among the many disappointing aspects to his second season is Barkley’s failure to stamp himself as a difference-maker as a target out of the backfield.