The Philadelphia Eagles made one of the most high-profile signings of NFL free agency in March, inking running back Saquon Barkley to a three-year deal.
It represented a deviation from the norm for the Eagles, who typically do not dole out expensive contracts to halfbacks. It’s also becoming a theme around the NFL in general.
However, general manager Howie Roseman thinks it may be time to start re-evaluating how teams view running backs.
“From our perspective, you get to a situation where you kind of try to find, is something being undervalued?” Roseman told Adam Schein on Mad Dog Radio. “Is there a way to zig when everyone’s zagging? Or I don’t know if it’s the opposite, and you’re freakin’ zagging when zigging. But I think that it’s hard to find difference-making players and people, and it’s hard to find them for a cost. Those guys, they go for a lot of money, and we felt like there was an opportunity to get one of those guys in Saquon and bring him to the team.”
Philadelphia will be paying Barkley an average of $12.58 million per year, making him the fourth-highest paid halfback in football.
The 27-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Penn State, was originally selected by the New York Giants with the second overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He made a couple of Pro Bowls with the Giants, most recently doing so in 2022 after he racked up 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. He also caught 57 passes for 338 yards.
However, Barkley has had a lot of trouble staying healthy, as he has not played a full season since his rookie campaign. This past year, the Bronx, N.Y. native was sidelined for three games with an ankle injury. He ended up rushing for 962 yards and six scores, logging a pedestrian 3.9 yards per attempt. He added 41 catches for 280 yards and four touchdowns.
We’ll see what Saquon Barkley brings to the table in Philly and whether or not the Eagles were right in straying from their usual strategy as far as running backs are concerned.
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