Saquon Barkley: I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help team win

[Giant]

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In the wake of the Giants’ 35-17 loss to the Cowboys last Sunday, plenty of people wondered why the Giants opted to use their best player sparingly in the contest.

Running back Saquon Barkley had 15 touches — 11 carries and four catches — in the game and that renewed 2018 conversations about whether the Giants are misusing the second overall pick of last year’s draft. Barkley wasn’t asked that question on Thursday, but he was asked if he thinks the team has a better chance to win if he touches the ball more often.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win,” Barkley said. “If we play better than we did last game, and we execute what we need to execute, I don’t think the conversation will be about 15 touches. I think we find a way to win that game. But at the end of the day, Dallas made more plays than us. We just have to find a way to do that better next game.”

Despite the previous questions about how head coach Pat Shurmur is deploying Barkley, the 15 touches last week are the fewest that Barkley’s gotten in an NFL game. That suggests the Giants would agree he should get the ball more often and that there’s a fair chance they’ll go out of their way make sure that happens against the Bills this weekend.