Saquon Barkley Could Be Missing Piece for Eagles Super Bowl Dreams

A general view of Lincoln Financial Field during the national anthem prior to the game between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia, Pa., on Sept. 24, 2017. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

The color green suits Saquon Barkley just fine.

The running back signed a three-year, $37.8 million deal with the Eagles in March, and he is already working hard for his new team. Philadelphia’s roster is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, and Barkey could be the final piece for a Super Bowl run.

“We’re all just coming in, buying in, trying to learn the playbook, learning the system, trying to get better each day,” Barkley said at a recent Eagles OTA. “You know there is a lot of talent, a lot of talent before I got here. I feel I can only add to that. At the same time, you can’t look too far. That’s the beauty of it. That’s the beauty of coming in every single day, working with each other, pushing each other.

“I’m excited to be here with this team,” he continued. “I feel like we can do something special. That’s a ways, ways away, so just continue to come in one day at a time and try to get better.”

Barkley, 27, is widely considered one of the top running backs in the NFL. He ranks seventh in rushing yards per game (70.4), 10th in touches (1,489), and 14th in rushing yards (5,211) among active running backs.

The New York Giants selected Barkley with the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He made an immediate impact and ran for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie. Barkley was also a weapon out of the backfield and had 721 yards receiving with four scores.

After leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage (2,028), Barkley was named the Associated Press’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Last season, Barkley played in 14 games, rushing for 962 yards and six touchdowns. He also had 280 yards receiving with four touchdowns and was an adept blocker.

Over six seasons and 74 career games with the Giants, Barkey had 1,201 carries for 5,211 yards and 35 touchdowns. He also caught 288 receptions for 2,100 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Barkley was respected by his teammates in New York and was a five-time captain. However, he knew it was time to move on to a new franchise.

“Knowing you at a place for six years, and I had a lot of ups and downs toward my knee, you know,” Barkley said about the Giants. “I have a lot of, you know, history there. So, like, knowing you’re going to leave, and obviously, before I even made a decision that I was going to be in Philly, but knowing that, I was like, oh, like, this story, this chapter has kind of come to an end.

“It definitely sucks, but unfortunately, it’s a business, and I’m happy I could be,” he continued. “There are some guys, like, you know, who are trying to find a spot, trying to get in the league, bouncing around, and I had the opportunity to make a decision where I could further on my legacy and put me and my family in a better situation.”

The Eagles looked like a Super Bowl team last season after starting the year 10–1. However, they faltered down the stretch, losing six of their last seven games and then getting blown out 32–9 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC wild-card round of the playoffs.

As a result, Philadelphia is looking for redemption.

In addition to signing Barkley, the team reached contract extensions with wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. The Eagles also have a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, who spent last season in the same position for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts is looking to bounce back after an uneven 2023 season when he threw 3,858 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions for an 89.1 pass rating. He added 15 rushing scores, but he also lost five fumbles.

Hurts led the Eagles to the Super Bowl the previous year after throwing for 3,701 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions for a 101.5 passer rating.

The Eagles showed their commitment to getting back to the Super Bowl by offering Barkley a lucrative three-year deal. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has shown that he is not afraid to spend money even with a sometimes undervalued position like running back.

“I know people think, well, we don’t spend on the running back position,” Lurie said at this year’s Annual League Meetings. “That’s never really been the case. We would do it very carefully. So LeSean McCoy, Brian Westbrook, those are instances of players that are really multi-purpose running backs that improve the passing attack, improve the running attack.

“And it’s, I think, [executive vice president] Howie [Roseman] said it, it’s hard to find exceptionally talented players,” he continued. “If you think about it, what we pay Saquon Barkley, take another position of what that’s getting in the league, and you tell me, is it better to pay Saquon that kind of money or a player at a different position that’s getting the exact same amount of money? That’s a decision. And Howie led the way there and felt that Saquon was the right way to spend that money.”