Sept. 21 (UPI) — An MRI on Monday confirmed that New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley has a torn ACL in his right knee.
The team announced that Barkley underwent additional tests at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan the day after he was injured during the Giants’ 17-13 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. According to the team, the Pro Bowl tailback will undergo surgery in the “near future” and miss the rest of the season.
“Losing a player who is such a good teammate and someone who is such a hard worker on the field will impact your team in a lot of ways,” Giants head coach Joe Judge told reporters Monday. “Saquon is a tremendous player. We have even more respect for him as a person. I personally hate it for this guy as hard as he has worked.”
Barkley suffered the knee injury as he ran toward the sideline and was being tackled by Bears defensive back Eddie Jackson. The running back grabbed his knee as he was about to hit the ground.
Giants trainers carried Barkley off the field and transported him to the locker room on a cart. He recorded 28 yards on four carries before exiting the game. His season ends with 19 rushes for 34 yards and no touchdowns.
The Giants could turn to Dion Lewis and Wayne Gallman in the absence of Barkley this season. According to ESPN and NFL Media, the team is bringing in former Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman for a workout this week.
The Giants selected Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Penn State. The 23-year-old tailback has rushed for 2,344 yards and 17 touchdowns on 497 carries in his first three seasons.
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