“I’m excited to be here with this team. I feel like we can do something special. That’s a ways away, so we’ll just continue to take it one day at a time and try to get better.”

This was Saquon Barkley in May, discussing his signing with the Eagles.

Barkley inked a three-year, $37.75 million contract this offseason. The deal made Barkley the top earner of the 2024 class of free agent running backs. It was also the first time the Eagles signed a running back to a multi-year deal since the franchise signed LeSean McCoy to a $45 million extension in 2012.

Since then, Philadelphia has typically handled the position with a committee approach vs. having a true ‘bell cow’ back.

The same has been true for the majority of NFL teams. In many ways, the running back position has become one of the least valued positions in professional football.

There have been Zoom meetings to discuss the state of the position. Players have even held out for entire seasons in order to secure deals that they deem sufficient.

The position just isn’t as important as it used to be for most NFL teams, and it may be for good reason. The last team to win a Super Bowl with a player who finished in the top three in the NFL in rushing yards was the Patriots with Corey Dillon.

Since McCoy, Philadelphia has spent sparingly at the position. They’ve drafted players (most notably Miles Sanders in the 2nd round), they’ve traded late round draft picks for players (most notably Jordan Howard and D’Andre Swift), and they’ve signed undrafted free agents and leaned on them (most notably Josh Adams).

This offseason, though, Philadelphia shifted their philosophy.

“I think that it’s hard to find difference-making players and people, and it’s hard to find them for a cost,” Eagles general manager, Howie Roseman said during the offseason when speaking about signing Barkley.

“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.”

The 27-year-old Barkley is a consensus top-5 running back in the NFL. A two-time Pro Bowler, he’s amassed over 5,200 career rushing yards and 35 touchdowns, having spent his entire six-year career with the Giants.

Philadelphia is paying Barkley to be a game changer, which is something he’s done since he became a pro, as evidenced by the aforementioned Pro Bowls as well as winning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018.

But it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows for Barkley. He’s dealt with a bevy of injuries over the course of his career. He also ranks 10th in touches among active running backs.

There’s a ton of tread on the tires. In New York, he was leaned on heavily to produce.

But things are different now for Barkley. This is the most talent he’s ever been surrounded by, and he recognizes it.

“It still doesn’t feel real when I’m in that offensive huddle, seeing all those guys,” Barkley said. “Pro Bowlers and All-Pros at every position.”

The load will likely be lightened on Barkley, which in turn will allow for his talent to shine. But with as much talent as the Eagles have on offense, it also means there are a ton of mouths to feed.

Between Barkley, All-pro wideout A.J. Brown, consensus top 10 tight end Dallas Goedert, DeVonta Smith, and Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia’s offensive braintrust will have to incorporate all of them.

“I know there will be times this season where there might be games they’re going to hand the ball to 2-6, and I’ve got to try to take over the game,” Barkley said.

“But there might be games where I’ve got to sit back and watch A.J. Brown do what he do, or DeVonta Smith. 

“So whatever it takes, that’s what it is. That’s what I’m about.”

It helps when your offensive coordinator has experience working with star-studded offenses.

Kellen Moore served as the Cowboys offensive coordinator from 2019-2022. During this time he worked with an offense that featured skill position players like QB Dak Prescott, RB Ezekiel Elliott, WR CeeDee Lamb, TE Dalton Schultz, and a top-5 offensive line.

Moore’s offenses utilized a variety of looks in order to put defenses in binds. There was variance in formations and personnel groupings, pre-snap motion and shifts, and a large menu in terms of the ethos of their offensive philosophy.

Moore is bringing that same ideology to Philadelphia, where the talent level is even higher.

“Saquon is obviously a special player,” Moore said recently. “You can see it out here without even pads, just his bursts, quickness, ability to hit the hole. Obviously, he’ll be a guy that you can utilize at all aspects of the field. He can be a space player, which we’re excited about in the passing game.”

“He’s going to be able to attack people in a lot of different ways. That’s the exciting part,” Moore continued.

Moore coordinated the No. 1 offense in the NFL during two of his four seasons with the Cowboys, and he leaned on his running backs in a major way to accomplish this.

The Cowboys ranked 8th in rushing attempts and 5th in rushing yards in 2019, when they finished 1st in yards and 6th in points. In 2021, Dallas ranked 12th in rushing attempts and 9th in rushing yards, finishing 1st in both points and total yards.

For Barkley and the Eagles as an organization, these are different circumstances than either party is used to.

Barkley is moving on from being the engine that made the Giants organization go to now being one of the many stars in a high-powered Eagles offense.

For Philadelphia, they’ve spent heavily at a position that they haven’t in years and are depending on Barkley to elevate their offense.

But there is also common ground.

For the Eagles, they looked like the NFL’s best team after starting the year 10-1. They then proceeded to lose six of their last seven games and get curb stomped, 32-9, in the NFC wild card round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For Barkley, he’s coming off a season of year-long negotiations with the Giants, who ultimately decided it was better to let Barkley walk than resign him (all of which was captured on HBO’s Hard Knocks series). He’s also entering an offense that features the most talent he’s ever been around in his career.

But according to Barkley, the objective is simple.

“What’s the most important thing?” Barkley posited when he met with the media last week.

“That’s winning football games.”

Cover Image Credit: AP Photo, Chris Szagola