The Philadelphia Eagles are hoping a working again trio of Will Shipley, AJ Dillon and Saquon Barkley will considerably restrict the burden their veteran star has to tackle throughout the common season.
Final season, Barkley had 345 carries for two,005 yards and 13 touchdowns. He earned the 2024 NFL Offensive Participant of the Yr award and helped energy the Eagles’ offense to a 40-22 win over the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs within the Tremendous Bowl.
At 28, Barkley is across the age the place working backs start to decline in manufacturing. He additionally has an injury history that features an ACL tear in 2020.
The Eagles are planning to ensure the All-Professional is wholesome for the offseason.
Per Brooks Kubena of The Athletic, first-year Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo mentioned he is talked to Barkley about his workload for the upcoming season. Patullo plans to be “sport particular” with how he makes use of Barkley within the common season.
Barkley is not involved about reaching 2,000 yards once more in 2025.
“I didn’t are available with the mindset final 12 months to hurry for two,000 yards,” Barkley mentioned. “It type of simply occurred. So simply keep within the second, deal with little issues, be in line with my course of, be obsessive with my course of, and make it possible for nothing’s non-negotiable. If it’s within the playing cards once more, it’s. If it’s not, it’s not.”
Whereas the Eagles may not function Barkley as closely as they did in 2024, the offense nonetheless needs to make use of the 2018 No. 2 choose equally this season.
Patullo trusts Barkley to know when he is pushing himself too far.
“He does a extremely good job of understanding himself — of when he wants to return out, when he needs to return in,” Patullo mentioned. “So, a variety of that shall be on him, clearly throughout video games, and he’s actually good about listening to that.”
Nonetheless, it is on the Eagles workers to ensure Barkley does not take pointless dangers, particularly throughout the common season. He proved too essential to the offense within the postseason for him to endure an harm within the common season.
Like what occurred to the San Francisco 49ers when Christian McCaffrey handled calf and Achilles points final 12 months, the Eagles cannot afford for his or her $20.6M-per-year working again to be on the harm report.
