Eagles’ Saquon Barkley Receives Critical Take From NFL Insider

The Philadelphia Eagles made quite a few moves this offseason, but there were none bigger than the free agency addition of star running back Saquon Barkley. Many believe that the addition of Barkley was the move that will push the Eagles from being a good offense to an elite unit.

Barkley making the move from the New York Giants to the division rival Eagles caused a big stir around the NFL. He’ll now try to help get Philadelphia back into Super Bowl contention after the team suffered a brutal collapse down the stretch of the 2023 season that ended in a Wild Card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While most are excited about the addition of Barkley into the Eagles’ offense, one NFL insider does not see it being close to the kind of sizable move that the media has made it.

Eagles’ Saquon Barkley Receives Critical Take From NFL Insider

ESPN insider Dan Graziano did not hold back from revealing his bold opinion on Barkley joining the Eagles. While he doesn’t rip into Barkly too hard, he made it clear why he doesn’t see Barkley having a massive impact on the Philadelphia offense.

“I’m just not imagining Barkley as the difference-maker so many seem to be assuming he will be this season. Only twice in his six-year career has Barkley made it through a full season without missing at least one game due to injury. And even if 2024 is the third such season for him, I believe the Eagles’ success is going to have a lot more to do with whether the passing game rebounds behind quarterback Jalen Hurts and his receivers.”

He continued forward to explain further why he feels that way about Barkley’s role on the Eagles in 2024.

“Assuming Barkley can be the key player who elevates a team from good to great ignores the fact that he has not been that over six years in the NFL. Again, the Eagles may well be favored to win the division, but I find it hard to believe Kellen Moore’s offense is going to make a running back its focal point.”

During the 2023 season with the Giants, Barkley ended up playing in 14 games. He carried the football 247 times for 962 yards and six touchdowns. In addition to his rushing totals, he caught 41 passes for 280 yards and another four touchdowns.

Granted, no one can argue that Barkley has been able to stay healthy. He has had many nagging injuries and some big ones as well. However, the impact he makes on the field is impressive.

Even playing in just 14 games, Barkley had a major impact in New York last season. That kind of production would be a big addition for the Eagles’ offense, forcing defenses to be honest against the run. Jalen Hurts will see the passing game open up with Barkley on the field.

All of that being said, there’s really no predicting what kind of 2024 season Saquon Barkley will end up having. He needs to stay healthy. If he’s able to do that, the Eagles are going to be a much more dangerous team than they were in 2023.