Saquon Barkley didn’t have the season he or the Philadelphia Eagles envisioned in 2025. The numbers dipped, the jaw dropping explosive plays were few and far between and the offensive line was banged up for the majority of the season causing inconsistent play across the board.
“I don’t like how I performed for the team or if I performed high enough for the team,” Barkley said.. “When it doesn’t go the way you want it to be, have to lock in more, be your hardest critic and see what you can do better.”
With the upcoming season approaching, the 29-year-old is in line for a resurgence. Not because of blind optimism, but because of the changing factors around Barkley.
It remains to be seen what exactly the offense will look like for the Eagles under first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, but there are expectations that based on Mannion’s experience, the foundation of the offense will involve more spacing, rhythm and providing easier outlets for Barkley and quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Barkley shared his excitement on learning and playing in Mannion’s new-look system.
"I'm super excited about it. I'm going on year 9, which is crazy to say, and I've had a lot of different coaches and head coaches. I have been a part of a lot of systems. I don't think I've really came across a system like this, and for me, it's refreshing,” Barkley said on NFL Insiders back in February.
There is also a belief that Barkley will be more involved in the passing game.
Last season, Barkley had 37 receptions for 273 yards and two touchdowns. In his historic campaign in 2024, he had 33 catches for 278 yards and a pair of scores. Outside of his 2020 season where he missed essentially the entire season, the last two years marked the only time Barkley did not have 40 or more catches in a season.
Of course, a team needs a healthy offensive line in order to have success. The Eagles did not have that most of last season with Landon Dickerson and Lane Johnson suffering injuries. In turn, Barkley’s production dipped.
His yards per carry dipped by 1.7 yards going from an impressive 5.8 yards per carry in 2024 to 4.1 last season while his success rate fell to 42.1% after it was 52.5% in 2024.
Barkley showed in his first season that he can turn any carry into a home run. Yet, last year, he had just four rushes for 20-plus yards compared to 17 in 2024, which was second-most, only behind Derrick Henry who finished that season with 19.
In a recent survey conducted by ESPN asking NFL executives, head coaches and scouts to rank players, Barkley finished as the third-ranked running back behind Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs.
"My only criticism is that he doesn't always produce when things aren't completely clean," an NFL coordinator said. "That's dating back to the Giants. Tends to need things perfectly set up for him."
Barkley and his 820 yards after contact were 12th-most among running backs last season. In his historic 2024 season, he racked up 1,176 yards after contact.
"I'm not going to penalize him for a terrible all-around offense last year," a high-ranking personnel official with an NFL team said. "He's still a three-down weapon and if I needed a running back for one season I'm still taking him 1."
Despite dealing with the inconsistent offense, Barkley still put together a solid season. His 1,140 rushing yards ranked 10th in the league, marking his fifth season surpassing the 1,000-yard mark.
According to FantasyPros, Barkley’s projected stats for the upcoming season are:
1,311 rushing yards
296 carries
8 TDs
42 REC
330 REC YDS
2 REC TDs
In addition to the emergence of Tank Bigsby who produced in his limited touches, he can provide Barkley some extra rest in-game to allow Barkley to remain fresh giving him and the offense a better chance to see more of the explosive plays that electrified the fans two years ago.
On the surface, it appears that the Eagles and front office made the necessary changes to avoid a repeat of everything that went wrong last year from recurring.
From a new scheme, healthy offensive line, perhaps more involvement in the passing game, a strong complimentary running back in Bigsby, it positions Barkley not only as a bounce-back candidate – he’s one of the most obvious rebound players on the roster and perhaps in the entire league.
