No position in professional football has been more devalued or marginalized in recent years than the running back, both contractually and in practical usage.
The juxtaposition of the continued absence of Saquon Barkley from the Giants with the return to full health of second-year Jets game breaker Breece Hall has shown New York football fans that perhaps NFL front offices have been too quick to believe the ball carrier is a replaceable entity.
This is not the first time that Barkley has missed time due to an injury, sitting out the past three games — all losses — due to a high-ankle sprain suffered in Week 2 against the Cardinals. The two-time Pro Bowler had 92 yards from scrimmage with two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) as the Giants overcame a 20-point halftime deficit in Arizona to post their lone win of the season.
Barkley’s importance to Brian Daboll’s offense is unquestioned, even behind a shaky offensive line, and it is his best argument for a contract extension beyond this year’s salary of $10.1 million.
The organization’s counter argument to that will remain the 26-year-old Barkley’s availability or lack thereof. He hasn’t dressed for every game of a season since appearing in all 16 of his rookie campaign in 2018 after the Giants tabbed him with the No. 2 overall pick out of Penn State.
Counting this season, he has missed 34 of 70 games since, including most of 2020 because of a torn ACL.
A mostly healthy Saquon played 16 of 17 games one year ago, only sitting the season finale as the Giants rested most of their starters for the postseason. He rushed for a career-best 1,312 yards with 10 touchdowns as the Giants finished with a 9-7-1 record before winning a road playoff game over the Vikings.
Barkley’s importance to the offense has been underscored during their three-game losing streak: The team’s other running backs have totaled 105 rushing yards on 47 attempts (average of 2.2) over that span.
Daboll said Monday that “Saquon’s probably closer [to returning] than [left tackle] Andrew Thomas,” who also has missed the past three games due to a hamstring issue among multiple injuries along the offensive line.
The porous line play and a team-wide inability to run the ball certainly hasn’t helped embattled quarterback Daniel Jones, who also suffered a neck injury Sunday against Miami after facing constant pressure once again.
Zach Wilson has been facing a different kind of pressure since taking over for Aaron Rodgers, but Hall’s dynamic play deflected much of that attention from his quarterback in the Jets’ rousing win in Denver.
With Robert Saleh finally lifting Hall’s “pitch count” Sunday following season-ending ACL surgery last October, the second-year back exploded for a career-high 177 rushing yards on 22 carries, highlighted by a 72-yard scoring scamper. He had totaled just 32 rushing attempts through the Jets’ first four games.
Hall’s return to a full workload bodes well for Wilson and the Jets, who are 2-3 entering Sunday’s game against the unbeaten Eagles.
The Jets were 5-2 last season in games played by Hall, but they dropped eight of their final 10 games without him to finish the year with a 7-10 mark.
The season-ending injury to top offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker — his torn Achilles was revealed Monday via an MRI exam — complicates the Jets’ task.
But if they can get four-time Pro Bowler Dalvin Cook (36-97) going to complement Hall and provide a legitimate 1-2 punch, their ground game can make a massive impact on a Jets season that felt destined for another dud since Rodgers went down.
Though it doesn’t seem likely for the Giants (1-4) to make such a turnaround, a healthy and productive Barkley probably is their only chance.
Contrary to popular opinion, running backs still are that important to the success of both local NFL teams.
Today’s back page
From beast … to least
Wasn’t the American League East supposed to be the best division in baseball?
Wasn’t that the explanation for the Yankees and Red Sox finishing in fourth place and last place, respectively?
The MLB playoffs certainly haven’t played out that way with the Rays and Blue Jays getting swept in the best-of-three wild-card round and the first-place Orioles dropping their first two games at Camden Yards to the Rangers in the Division Series.
That’s an 0-6 playoff record for three teams that combined for 289 wins and a .595 winning percentage over the 162-game slate.
The 101-win Orioles appear to be the latest team to be having difficulty getting re-started after several days off due to their first-round bye.
Baseball historically is a sport predicated on playing nearly every day throughout the season.
The Dodgers and the Braves got knocked out in the NLDS after receiving byes one year ago, and L.A. now is down 0-2 while Atlanta split its first two home games against the Phillies — rallying from 4-0 down for a dramatic 5-4 win in Monday night’s Game 2 — after posting the best record in baseball this year.
The Bill has come due
Bill Belichick’s coaching career obviously will come to an end one day, maybe even after this season.
If so, this is no way to go out for the only six-time Super Bowl winner as a head coach in NFL history.
The Patriots have been outscored, 72-3, in their past two losses to fall to 1-4 for the first time since 2000 — their lone win came against the Jets in Week 3.
Starting quarterback Mac Jones has been benched in each of those losses against the Cowboys and the Saints, the latter a 34-0 defeat that represented the Pats’ worst home loss during Belichick’s 24-year tenure with the organization.
Don Shula’s records of 328 regular-season coaching wins and 347 with postseason games added on suddenly seem less attainable for the 72-year-old coaching legend (who owns 299 and 330, respectively).
Belichick, who also won two Super Bowl rings with the Giants as a defensive coordinator, has indicated he will stick with Jones as the starter over backup QB Bailey Zappe this week on the road against the Raiders.
But the Pats appear to be headed for their third losing season in the past four years after dominating the AFC East over the previous two decades.
What we’re reading
🏀 Was that a new and improved Immanuel Quickley on display in the Knicks’ preseason opener?
🏀 Ben Simmons showed encouraging signs in the Nets’ preseason opener against the Lakers. Never heard that one before, right?
⚾ Michael King is approaching the offseason with the goal of having a full-year Yankees rotation spot in 2024, writes The Post’s Greg Joyce.
🏀 Victor Wembanyama vs. Chet Holmgren was a show, if you’re into that kind of thing.