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Saquon Barkley got an incredulous look on his face when asked if he was hoping to play in the New York Giants' preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday.

Hoping was not an option as far as the second overall pick in the NFL draft was concerned. The halfback from Penn State wants to play Ramik Wilson Jersey , even though the Giants cut back his workload last week, leaving many to wonder if he was a little dinged after 10 days of training camp.

Coach Pat Shurmur put the injury speculation to rest when talking to the media on Monday. He said Barkley is physically fine and the team is just managing his workload.

It seemed odd, though, on Saturday when the Giants didn't give Barkley a snap after limiting his carries a day earlier.

Shurmur downplayed it, saying the rookie has been getting plenty of work in drills not open to the media.

Barkley believes he is ready. He has worked hard, picked the brains of quarterback Eli Manning and veteran running back Jonathan Stewart, gotten to know his linemen and seems to have grasped the offense as well as can be expected for a newcomer.

Shurmur said the 21-year-old is making mistakes but learning from every one.

"Hoping? I plan to play," Barkley said Monday. "That's like I don't know; I haven't experienced an NFL preseason game yet, but I think that hoping would be like, I am hoping I am good to go for that game. I am more than capable to playing now. I am just happy inside to play in my first NFL game. Hopefully I can maximize every rep."

Barkley said he never had this much time to take care of his body in college. He noted that in his final season at Penn State he had to juggle training camp with taking finals from summer school classes.

Being hit for the first time in the NFL is something Barkley wants to happen.

"The first hit is something that knocks everything out Larry Ogunjobi Jersey , whereever your nerve is, you are overthinking stuff. It definitely helps."

Barkley isn't looking to gain a specific amount of yards or touchdowns. He wants to maximize every chance he gets and to have no missed assignments.

Manning said the best advice he has given Barkley is to take what the defense is giving on each play and realize you are not going to score on every play.

"Understand that expectations are going to be high, and don't worry about that," Manning said. "That's what you have a team for and you have a job to do. Take what they give you and when the opportunity comes and there is a hole and you get to the safety, that's your opportunity to make a guy miss and make something special happen."

Defensive coordinator James Bettcher said Barkley has been a good test for his defense.

"There's no question," he said. "I dealt with a guy of that nature and we've talked about it here at this stand before is (David Johnson), an Arizona guy that can split out and try to create mismatches, a guy that can run the ball extremely well between the tackles, and coordinators are going to have a fun time figuring out how they're going to get their matchups right."

Shurmur said he was still working on how much everyone will play Thursday at MetLife Stadium. He said he wants to see his whole roster since performance in games carries more weight than training camp in determining the 53-man roster.
Kansas City has agreed to trade quarterback Alex Smith to Washington, a move that spells the end of Kirk Cousins’ time with the Redskins and hands the Chiefs’ job to Patrick Mahomes.

Two people with direct knowledge of the deal confirmed the move to The Associated Press on Tuesday night on condition of anonymity because the transaction can’t be completed until the start of the new league year in March. One person told the AP the Redskins had agreed to a four-year extension with Smith Emmanuel Sanders Jersey , who had one year left on his contract.

Smith, who turns 34 in May, spent the past five seasons with the Chiefs, leading them to the playoffs four times while throwing for 102 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. He carries a $17 million salary-cap hit for 2018.

Kansas City saves cap space and can turn to Mahomes, the 10th pick in last year’s draft out of Texas Tech, as its new starter.

Smith becomes Washington’s new franchise quarterback after throwing for 31,888 yards and 183 touchdowns in 12 NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and Chiefs.

Smith is ”one of the best competitors and teammates I’ve ever been around,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce posted on Twitter. ”Someone who I owe a lot of my success to, and a guy that’s been a class act through all the ups n downs.”

The Redskins acquired Smith and signed him to the kind of long-term deal they balked at with Cousins, who became the first QB to play back-to-back seasons on the franchise tag. Cousins can become a free agent next month at age 29.

”Nothing really surprises me anymore Terrell Owens Jersey ,” Redskins tight end Niles Paul tweeted . Former Redskins QB Robert Griffin III tweeted : ”Some how…Some way…they will blame this on me. No doubt.”

Cousins, drafted by the Redskins in the fourth round out of Michigan State in 2012 – the same year they traded up to Griffin with the No 2 pick – likely leaves Washington with the fourth-most passing yards in franchise history, more than 16,000.

Under coach Jay Gruden, Cousins became the first Redskins QB to start all 16 games for three consecutive seasons. He threw for at least 4,000 yards in each, while totaling 81 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. But Washington only played in one playoff game during that span, going 9-7, 8-7-1 and, most recently Jermey Parnell Jersey , 7-9 in Cousins’ time as a starter.

Cousins has been the biggest question hovering over Washington’s offseason – and, indeed, hovering over the whole organization for a couple of years as the team failed to sign him to a long-term deal.

According to ESPN, Washington is sending a third-round draft pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller to Kansas City in the trade, which cannot be finalized until March 14. The Kansas City Star first reported the deal.

This is the second time a team coached by Andy Reid has traded a 33-year-old QB to the Redskins. Reid’s Philadelphia Eagles dealt Donovan McNabb to Washington in 2010 for second- and third-round picks.

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AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta and Pro Football Writer Howard Fendrich contributed to this report.

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