When Saquon Barkley went down with a high ankle sprain against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3, it was reported that he would be out for between four and eight weeks.

However, Barkley was spotted running, cutting and jumping at Giants practice on Wednesday and head coach Pat Shurmur wouldn’t rule out a return for Barkley on Sunday against Minnesota.

It was just a little more than a week ago that Barkley spent the second half of the Giants’ win against Tampa Bay on crutches. For that reason, some of Barkley’s teammates, including tight end Evan Engram, began to question his DNA.

“Honestly, that’s a pretty interesting story. I don’t know how — that’s just crazy. I think his body is just made in a lab, I don’t know. I’m happy, though, it was good to see. I’m glad everything is coming along recovery-wise, and now it’s just being smart with it and not trying to rush anything,” Engram told reporters on Wednesday.

It’s not likely the Giants will bring back their star running back until he is fully ready. And while Shurmur wouldn’t rule him out in Week 5, a more realistic early return comes the following week against the New England Patriots.

***Note: Saquon is not coming back this week. His eyes are on next week, although the Giants play at New England on Thursday night. Still don't be surprised if team plays it safe with their star RB. https://t.co/VF2HbL1gmb — Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) October 2, 2019

Barkley will do what it takes to get back on the field healthy so he can help his team. But there’s no denying that his injury has been overshadowed by the emergence of Daniel Jones — whose chemistry will be interesting to witness when Barkley does ultimately return.