The Giants haven't had anything close to a full deck on offense since Daniel Jones became the starting quarterback. Their hand for Thursday night's game against the Patriots hasn't been dealt yet.
Running back Saquon Barkley said Tuesday a decision hasn't been made on whether he'll return from his high ankle sprain. Determined to get back on the field after missing two games, the second-year back has been preparing like he'll play.
"That's my mindset," Barkley told reporters, per SNY's Ralph Vacchiano. "That's the way I've been approaching this game."
He and tight end Evan Engram, who's battling a knee injury, were both limited participants in practice Tuesday. New York coach Pat Shurmur refused to say if the pair were even game-time decisions.
"We'll see," he said.
When asked if it was true whether Barkley and Engram were unlikely to play, Shurmur remained coy.
"You didn't hear that from me," he said.
The Giants are already without wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who suffered his second concussion in less than a month this past weekend. He's second in receptions to Engram, who came out of Big Blue's Week 5 loss to the Vikings with a knee injury after recording a team-high six receptions. The third-year tight end has quickly emerged as Jones' favorite target.
The rookie has played only about a half with Barkley, who went down in the second quarter of Jones' first NFL start. The 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year had broken 100 rushing yards in each of the first two games of the season.
New York has managed to win two of three games since switching from Eli Manning to Jones. Beating the unbeaten Patriots, though, would be hard enough with Barkley and Engram healthy.
