When Saquon Barkley signed a free agent deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, it wasn’t just your average offseason move. It was a star running back leaving behind the dysfunction that is the New York Giants for a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Considering how impressive Barkley was with the limited Giants roster, his audition with the Eagles was a season-long highlight film capped off by a Super Bowl title. Now, a third of the way through his second season in midnight green, black, and silver, Barkley not only has to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke but also his case as the best running back in the league and a future spot in the Hall of Fame.
Year One
Barkley’s debut season with the Eagles was everything that management, fans, and Barkley could have hoped for. After years of carrying the troubled Giants' offense, the seventh-year vet finally had the blocking and supporting cast to help showcase his elite talent. His chemistry with quarterback Jalen Hurts was immediate and allowed for multiple options in Philadelphia’s offensive scheme.
So what does he do for an encore?
Sophomore Season
Five games into the 2025 season, the Eagles and fans are seeing a slightly different version of Barkley, primarily due to the fact that defenses have had an entire year and offseason to study how Philadelphia uses their star. As a marked man by opposing defensive coordinators, the element of surprise is now met with adjusted coverages and stacked defenses.
While his stats may not be as dominant as last year, especially his average yards per carry (5.8 to 3.2), that hasn’t impacted Barkley’s importance to the Eagles' offense, NFL Betting sites have taken notice of this, too, with the Eagles remaining a Super Bowl favorite, despite the adjustments that teams have made.
Clearly, the market and the Eagles believe in Barkley’s ability to elevate his team, jumping out to a division-leading 4-1 start, which also has them tied with the San Francisco 49ers for tops in the NFC and in the hunt for the best record in the league.
Prime Time
At 28 years of age and in his eighth season, Barkley is in his prime, but the clock is ticking. Yes, he has a championship ring, an Offensive Player of the Year, an Offensive Rookie of the Year, a First Team All-Pro, and three Pro Bowl appearances, not to mention five 1000+ yard seasons, including last year’s impressive 2005 yard campaign, but is it enough?
The next couple of seasons will determine whether Barkley was a very good player on a bad team for most of his career and then simply benefited from a better situation, or if he is a Hall of Fame lock who dominated his era. Smart money would bet on the latter. One question that haunted Barkley throughout his time in New York was his durability. Over his six seasons in the Big Apple, Barkley missed 19 games. While he was healthy enough to play all 17 last season, coach Nick Sirianni held Barkley and many of the other Eagles starters out of the final game, which proved meaningless in the standings.
Team Bonding
One aspect of Barkley’s second season that can’t be measured statistically is his increased connection with Hurts. Year one was about building trust and learning how to play off of each other’s strengths. Year two is about instincts, anticipation, and chemistry that turns basic plays into great ones and great plays into game winners.
When he’s not thundering down the field with the ball, Barkley’s pass protection is buying Hurts an extra few seconds, not just by blocking defenders but by reading the blitzes before they develop. With Hurts playing at an MVP level, the offensive line being one of the best in the league, and the defense on top of their game, it is important for Barkley to maximize this time, not just to define his career, but possibly the current era of Eagles football.
The Road Ahead
With a dozen games left in the regular season and hopefully a deep playoff run to a second straight championship, it’s clear what Barkley needs in order to define his legacy. Stay healthy, add another 1000+ yard season to his resume, lead the Eagles back to the playoffs, and contend for another title. Simple to say, definitely harder to do.
When compared to other great running backs, does Barkley possess Barry Sanders' elusive scampering ability? Adrian Peterson’s power? LaDainian Tomlinson’s elusiveness? Or Emmitt Smith’s second effort ability? The answer is that Barkley doesn’t seem to have just one of these traits locked down, but he does have a little bit of everything that these Hall of Fame players offered. He can run between the tackles, catch passes out of the backfield, pass protect, and without a doubt, deliver in the biggest moments.
While Barkley has the championship ring and the individual accolades, one thing that these greats have that he doesn’t is multiples of them. Smith has three titles, Sanders has a pair of Offensive Player of the Year awards, Peterson is a three-time rushing leader, and Tomlinson is a three-time First-Team All-Pro.
If the Eagles stay on their current path and remain positioned for another championship run and if Barkley can maintain an All-Pro level of play throughout the remainder of the season, a trip to Canton is a lock.
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