The Philadelphia Eagles secured one of the best free agents on the market this past March, signing star running back Saquon Barkley to a three-year deal.
Former NFL wide receiver and current Fox Sports analyst Greg Jennings loves the addition for the Eagles and thinks that Barkley could end up having the best season of his career.
Jennings notes that the amount of weapons Philadelphia has in comparison to Barkley’s former New York Giants club should make things a lot easier for him.
He says that Barkley was the focal point of the Giants’ offense throughout his entire six-year tenure there and that opposing defenses knew if they could stop Barkley, New York wouldn’t be able to properly move the football.
In Philly, that won’t be the case.
Not to discount what D’Andre Swift achieved with the Eagles last season, but Philadelphia is most known for its impressive tandem of wide receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. It also has a terrific tight end in Dallas Goedert, not to mention a very good offensive line.
Plus, Jalen Hurts is a much more accomplished quarterback than Daniel Jones, so Barkley should also benefit from Hurts’ presence under center.
Barkley set his career high with 1,312 rushing yards in 2022, and Jennings seems to think that the halfback will shatter that next season.
Of course, a big issue with Barkley has been staying on the field.
The 27-year-old has not played a full season since his rookie campaign, and this past year, he missed three games due to an ankle injury and averaged just 3.9 yards per carry.
If Barkley can remain healthy, there is no question he is one of the best running backs in football, but his checkered injury history is worrisome.
Plus, there is a possibility that Barkley could be declining, especially when taking into consideration the typically short shelf life of NFL running backs.
The Eagles are coming off of a disastrous 2023 campaign in which they started the season 10-1 but then lost five of their last six games to finish 11-6. They would then proceed to get routed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
We’ll see if Saquon Barkley can help wash away some of the stench from the second half of last season in Philadelphia.
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