That’s how I see it with the return of the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, NYG’s Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia’s Miles Sanders, and the WFT’s Antonio Gibson.
Courtesy: Bloggingtheboys.com
Dak Prescott: His arm will no doubt be just fine. In question is his mobility. Will limited mobility prevent him from tossing 30 touchdowns and throwing for 4,900 yards like he did in 2019? Well, Prescott displayed agility inside and outside the pocket in the first game of the season vs. Tampa Bay–and, by the way, he passed for 403 yards and three touchdowns. The big question is whether his O-line will give Prescott the support that he had in 2019. By season’s end, that offensive line ranked #6. Pre-season this year, pro football analysts have them back at #6. That’s good news for Prescott and Cowboys fans.
Saquon Barkley: In 2018, Barkley averaged five yards-per-carry, had 1,307 yards rushing and 721 yards receiving, and scored 15 TDs. But unlike Prescott’s situation in Dallas, Barkley doesn’t have the same level of O-line productivity. Pro Football Network ranks the NYG O-line 28 out of 32 teams. That puts extra pressure on OC Jason Garrett to figure out ways to feature Barkley. In the Week 1 loss against the Broncos, he ran Barkley only ten times, which tells me that Garrett is bringing back Barkley slowly. Let’s see how many times he gets the ball in Week 2 against the WFT.
Photo courtesy ESPN
Miles Sanders: In his 16-game 2019, the Philadelphia running back rushed for 800+ yards, caught 50 passes for 500+ yards, and scored six TDs. Sanders played in four fewer games last year and rushed for 50+ more yards, but his receiving productivity declined significantly with 28 receptions for under 200 yards. This year, Sanders is in top condition with dynamic Jalen Hurts at the helm. But the injury bug bit Sanders again in the opener v. the Falcons (74 yards in 15 attempts + 39 yards on six pass receptions). Sanders tweaked his ankle in that game and (as of Wednesday) is listed as questionable this week against the 49ers.
Antonio Gibson: Gibson runs behind a highly rated O-line (ranked #4 in the NFL). Gibson missed two games in his 2020 rookie season but still rushed for nearly 800 yards and scored 11 TDs. He recently had surgery to address a sprain of the main joint of the big toe. But, now, Gibson is back on track, as evidenced by his nearly 100-yard rushing performance last week in a loss v. the Chargers.
These are three NFC East players to watch–three players who have come back from injury and now figure prominently in what their teams will do in 2021.
