Should the Philadelphia Eagles sign Saquon Barkley? Here are pros and cons
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - As the Philadelphia Eagles enter NFL free agency, they have plenty of holes on the roster to address. Among them is the running back position, and the Birds have been connected to New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley.
Two of the team's backs from 2023, D'Andre Swift and Boston Scott, will become free agents once the new league year starts on Wednesday.
Recently, rumors have emerged connecting the Eagles to Barkley, the top running back in a loaded free-agent class that features Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Austin Ekeler, Tony Pollard and others.
The interest between the Eagles and Barkley is apparently "mutual."
But does it make sense for the Eagles to potentially give Barkley the big-time contract he's been seeking? General manager Howie Roseman historically doesn't spend a lot of money on running backs, but maybe he puts more chips on the table given the increased cap space.
If Barkley were to make the trip down I-95 south to Philly, it would be closer to home. He played football at Whitehall High School in the Lehigh Valley before starring at Penn State University.
Does it make sense for the Eagles to sign Barkley? Let's run through the pros and cons.
Pros
By signing Barkley, the Eagles would be adding one of the best players and one of the most talented running backs in the NFL.
Barkley, 27, is a legit three-down back who can run between the tackles and catch passes out of the backfield. In 14 games last season with the Giants, Barkley rushed for 962 yards -- 3.9 yards per carry -- and hauled in 41 catches for 280 yards and 10 total touchdowns.
Since entering the league in 2018, Barkley has 2,100 receiving yards and 288 receptions, which both rank in the top five amongst all running backs, per StatMuse. He would be a game-changer for the Eagles and the best running back in Philly since LeSean McCoy.
Barkley's receiving numbers have gone down since his first two NFL seasons, but he's still a major threat to catch passes for opposing defenses.
Previous Eagles running backs like D'Andre Swift and Miles Sanders performed well in their roles, but Barkley is a tier above and among the upper echelon of NFL running backs.
Pairing Barkley with quarterback Jalen Hurts in the running game would be a nightmare for teams. The Eagles weren't as effective in the quarterback running game last year as they were in previous years likely due to Hurts not being 100% and a stale offense, but Barkley's addition could provide a spark.
Even with Jason Kelce in retirement, Barkley would be playing behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL in Philly -- a luxury he never had in New York.
Barkley has proven he can perform on lesser teams with Daniel Jones, heck even Tommy DeVito, as his quarterback and an unimpressive group of receivers.
Imagine adding him to a skill position group with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert.
Cons
Signing Barkley to an expensive contract, and possibly a lengthy one, usually isn't a wise business decision in today's NFL.
For as talented as Barkley might be, the Eagles could simply wait and let the market come to them to sign another talented running back to a much cheaper running back and get similar production. Or even grab a tailback in the NFL draft.
The Eagles have way too many holes to fill, especially on defense, to prioritize Barkley in free agency and give him a big contract. Spotrac projects Barkley to earn a three-year, $29.9 million deal in free agency. If that's the price the Birds will have to pay, they're likely not doing it. Maybe for one year? But that would still be a lot to pay for a running back. Barkley is likely looking for a longer-term contract he could never agree to with the Giants.
Since the 2020 season, the Eagles' entire running back room hasn't accounted for more than $5.2 million in cap space each year, per Spotrac, so paying Barkley would be a philosophical team-building change for Roseman. Last season, the Eagles let Sanders walk in free agency after he was searching for a bigger contract and replaced his production with Swift and a committee approach.
The Eagles have also proven they don't need an elite running back like Barkley to succeed in the running game. If Hurts returns to his usual self in the running game in 2024, he's a plus-one in Philly's ground attack and makes the backs around him better.
Since Hurts took over as the Eagles' starting quarterback, the team has ranked in the top 10 every year in rushing, including No. 1 in 2021, despite the ground game not being as effective in 2023.
Barkley has also had his fair share of injuries during his six-year NFL career. He only played two games in the 2020 season after tearing his ACL but has since played 13, 16 and 14 games in the past three seasons.
Barkley hasn't played a full season since he was a rookie in 2018 and dealt with an ankle injury in the 2023 season.