Barkley looked good during limited practice work this week, but the team are not ready to put him on the field this Sunday.
Pat Shurmur told reporters earlier this week that Barkley “felt good” in his recovery from an ankle sprain as he worked with New York’s training staff.
Head coach Shurmur initially held off ruling the RB out of contention to face the Vikings but the team did make that decision on Friday, announcing he would miss the home game.
Barkley injured his ankle in the second quarter of the Giants’ Week 3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had to be helped to the locker room. He came back to the sideline using crutches and wearing a walking boot.
He was reportedly optimistic about beating the initial recovery timetable of four to eight weeks and while that does look likely, the Giants are taking a cautious approach in easing Barkley back.
The 22-year-old, who has not been placed on injured reserve or required surgery, also missed the team’s Week 4 victory over the Washington Redskins.
Barkley, selected with the second overall pick in the 2018 draft, had rushed for 227 yards, second in the NFL, and had one rushing touchdown in two games entering Week 3.
He then had eight carries for 10 yards and four receptions for 27 yards before leaving the Bucs game.
Last season, he led the league with 2,028 yards from scrimmage and scored 15 total touchdowns to earn Offensive Rookie of the Year honours.
The Giants and Vikings both hold 2-2 records going into Sunday’s game.
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