Saquon Barkley charged down the running lane, setting his sights on a charging Xavier McKinney as the final obstacle.
A scene ripped from a Giants training camp past will likely be replayed sometime Friday night, when Barkley and McKinnie make their debuts with the Eagles and Packers, respectively, going head-to-head in the first-ever NFL game to be played in Brazil as part of a four-day Week 1 session.
“Sakson has that deadly jump cut, but Xavier is one of the best safeties in the NFL,” Giants defensive back Isaiah Simmons said. “Sakson will win, Xavier will win. Who's going to win? Whoever prepared better in the offseason.”
“I think Saquon is entitled to complain about something, but X has a temper, especially on game day. His attitude on the field is, 'There's no one here better than me,' and that's a good thing.”
Barkley and McKinnie spent four years as teammates just a few locker room seats apart and were elected co-captains for the Giants a combined seven times.
As part of general manager Joe Sean's plan to reallocate spending to positions that are higher priorities than running back and safety, the Giants let Barkley (three years, $37.75 million) and McKinnie (four years, $67 million) sign with other teams for two of the 20 largest NFL free-agent contracts signed this offseason. The two men publicly defended each other during contract negotiations.
“They've been leaders on this team,” Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger said. “It'll be fun to see how they adjust to a different system.”
The Post surveyed the Giants' locker room to find out what will happen when Barkley and McKinnie face off on the open field as opponents for the first time.
“Wow. Oh my gosh,” Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said, grinning broadly as he pictured the scene, “They're great players. It depends on the angle. If it's head-on, Xavier might get it. If Zay has to come at an angle, Saquon might get a little bit of footwork.”
Lawrence wasn't the only one to put conditions on the mock scenario.
“If you can see the goal line, you're going to use Saquon. If it's a first down or a turnover, you've got to leave it to Zay,” receiver W'A'Dale Robinson said. “If the field is open and Ex just has to beat him, I think he can do it.”
Given that tackling is prohibited in practice and that pushing the ball too hard often leads to debates about whether the ball carrier was truly “down” in games, McKinnie should have time to unleash the restraint he's built up over the years. It's time to settle the debate under real rules.
“Saquon's probably going to try to run him over once, and if that doesn't work, he's going to try to get around him the next time,” cornerback Adoree Jackson said. “Whoever wins the first game, it'll be good to see how the second game goes, just to know these two are competitors, and then it's going to be a battle every time after that.”
Barkley might be surprised that the Eagles' vaunted offensive line has made room for lesser talent like Miles Sanders (1,269 rushing yards in 2022) and D'Andre Swift (1,049 in 2023). He's no longer relying solely on star left tackle Andrew Thomas.
“Saquon's going to try to spin the ball, that's what he does best,” Thomas said, “and Xavier's probably going to take a little stinging hit.”
Bellinger has seen Barkley's spin move “so many times” that he wouldn't bet on it the first time around.
“The second time,” Bellinger said, “Xavier will think about it, go low and cut him.”
Jackson was in a similar situation when he returned to the Giants to face off against longtime Titans teammate Derrick Henry, but no one in the NFL enjoys tackling the 247-pound Henry.
“It's kind of weird, like, 'Oh, shit, I really need to tackle,'” Jackson said. “I know they're gonna call each other names and that's natural. They actually did it in practice. It's like nothing's changed. I know people might think that, but this is just the way we are.”
Even if the uniform color changes.
“We're not looking at this as 'X' versus Saquon,” Robinson said. “We're happy for them and we're blessed to be in this game.”
