The Missing Piece Of The Eagles Offense Has Arrived
It’s time to rejoice, Eagles fans; Saquon Barkley has arrived. The Eagles signed Barkley to a three-year deal after the Penn State product spent his first six NFL seasons with the New York Giants.
"I might have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia,” Giants owner John Mara said to general manager Joe Schoen before the start of free agency. Mara might not be getting any sleep after Barkley’s debut game with the Eagles.
Barkley ran the ball 24 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in the Eagles’ Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil. The 27-year-old also caught two passes out of the backfield, including an 18-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to begin his Eagles career. Not to mention, Barkley did all this on poor field conditions.
To make things worse for Mara and Giants fans, their team lost 28-6 to Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings to open up the 2024 season. Barkley’s replacement, Devin Singletary, had 10 carries for 37 yards and caught four passes for 15 yards out of the backfield.
Barkley Has Arrived With Hopes Of Bringing A Second Lombardi Trophy To Philadelphia
The Eagles already had a good offense before Barkley’s arrival. Hurts is one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the league, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are arguably the best wide receiver duo in the NFL, Dallas Goedert is a do-it-all tight end, and the offensive line is one of the best in the business even with Jason Kelce no longer in the middle.
Barkley adds a whole new dimension to the Eagles’ offense that it hasn’t had since LeSean McCoy in 2014. The Eagles had guys like DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, LeGarrette Blunt, Wendell Smallwood, Miles Sanders, and D’Andre Swift leading the backfield since trading McCoy in 2015. Sanders and Swift were Pro Bowlers in back-to-back seasons for the Eagles in 2022 and 2023, and Blunt was a key piece in delivering a Super Bowl championship to Philadelphia in 2017. None of these guys are on the same level as Barkley.
Barkley is an elite talent and has been his entire career. His success goes back to his college days when he was one of the best running backs and returners in college football history while at Penn State. He’s quick, fast, powerful, and can catch the ball well out of the backfield. He’s a nightmare in open space and has the ability to make defenders look silly. He’s everything a coach can dream of at the running back position as long as he’s healthy and on the field.
Although it wasn’t perfect, the Eagles’ offense under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore showed flashes of how special the group can be in 2024. Barkley obviously had an incredible game, and so did Brown, who caught five passes for 119 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown pass from Hurts. Smith made plays when needed finishing with 84 yards, and Goedert was efficient hauling in 4-of-5 targets. The Eagles also have valuable depth with running backs Kenneth Gainwell and rookie Will Shipley as well as wide receivers Jahan Dotson and rookie Johnny Wilson.
The Eagles have high expectations this year, and Barkley might be the final piece for a trip to Super Bowl LIX.
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