EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — It didn’t take long for Saquon Barkley to make an impact in his NFL preseason debut.
The former Penn State standout made a splash on his first carry with the New York Giants, bouncing a run outside for a 39-yard gain against the Cleveland Browns.
Barkley took a handoff from quarterback Eli Manning, and immediately had two Browns defenders staring him down. But the elusive running back made a jump-cut to his right and turned on the jets, racing up the sidelines for a huge gain before the Browns could run him out of bounds.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft finished the game with 43 yards on five carries. But it was his first attempt that had people talking after the game.
“Yeah, started off with a nice run to get things started,” Manning told ESPN. “Hopefully more to come.”
Quarterback Baker Mayfield, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, also made a solid NFL debut for the Browns. The Heisman Trophy winner from Oklahoma went 11-for-20 for 212 yards and two touchdowns as Cleveland won the game, 20-10.
