Arguably the biggest splash that the Philadelphia Eagles made this offseason was signing running back Saquon Barkley. After spending six seasons chasing him around as a member of the rival New York Giants, the Eagles will now have the luxury of him being on their side.
Philadelphia has seen first-hand just how dominant Saquon Barkley can be on the field. A true dual threat, he is as productive catching passes as he is taking handoffs and rushing the ball.
Going from the underwhelming offensive line to what the Eagles have in the trenches will be a massive upgrade for the Penn State product. Injuries have derailed him at times in his career, but the lack of a functional supporting cast was just as detrimental.
In Philadelphia, that won’t be a problem. The offensive line is very good and opponents won’t be able to key in on him as easily as they did with the Giants.
Wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert are excellent skill position weapons as well. They will help take pressure off of Saquon Barkley, who is no longer the only productive weapon in an offense.
As a result of that, some people believe that the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft is in for a big season. One of those people is Fox Sports host, Craig Carton.
On his show, Carton made a bold prediction about Saquon Barkley for the 2024 season. He believes we are going to see the kind of star-studded production we saw earlier in his career.
“If he stays healthy, I think Saquon Barkley has as close to his rookie season as he’s had since then,” Carton said recently on The Carton Show.
The 2018 season that Carton is referencing was an electric one for Saquon Barkley. He led the NFL with 2,028 total yards, rushing for 1,307 and finishing with 721 receiving yards. Barkley found the endzone 15 total times.
While Saquon Barkley did set a new career-high for rushing yards with 1,312 in 2022, he hasn’t come close to the 2,000 total yards plateau since his rookie season. 2022 was the closest with 1,650.
In his tenure with the Giants, Barkley reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark three times. He had over 1,200 total yards four times. The only times he missed were 2020, when he tore his ACL and 2021, when he was working his way back.
If Saquon Barkley can stay on the field in 2024, his production should rival that of his rookie season. The Eagles provide him with the best situation he has had to work with in his career, which can result in a monster campaign.
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