The Philadelphia Eagles made a big move for their offense this offseason, signing running back Saquon Barkley in free agency.
If healthy, Barkley should provide a spark for an Eagles offense that labored late last season, as Philadelphia lost six of its last seven games. The skid was capped by a blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
Former NFL lineman and current analyst Brian Baldinger is expecting a stronger season from the Eagles’ offense in 2024 and explained why.
Baldinger doesn’t think Philadelphia’s offensive improvement will just be limited to Barkley, but he does believe that Barkley’s presence will certainly provide a big lift, especially with new offensive Kellen Moore calling the shots.
How Much Will Saquon Barkley Actually Help the Eagles?
The Eagles gave Barkley a three-year, $38 million deal, so they are certainly expecting big things from the star halfback next season.
But just how much will Barkley help Philadelphia?
The 27-year-old is coming off of a rather middling 2023 campaign with the New York Giants in which he rushed for 962 yards and six touchdowns while averaging a pedestrian 3.9 yards per carry. He missed three games to an ankle injury, which has become a common theme for Barkley.
Barkley has not played a full season since his rookie year all the way back in 2018, which has to be a concern for Philly going into 2024.
Not only that, but Barkley’s efficiency has dipped considerably over the years.
After averaging five yards per carry during his rookie campaign, Barkley has struggled to break off big chunks of yardage. Even in 2022, when he posted a career-high 1,312 rushing yards, he only logged a fairly ordinary 4.4 yards per attempt.
He has registered under four yards per tote in two of the past three seasons.
The Eagles typically don’t pay running backs big money, which made their decision to ink Barkley to such a lucrative deal all the more peculiar.
Philadelphia opted to let Miles Sanders walk in free agency last year, and this past March, Philly watched as D’Andre Swift landed a three-year, $24 million pact with the Chicago Bears.
We’ll see if Barkley can give the Eagles what they are looking for come September.
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