When Saquon Barkley left New York for Philadelphia in 2024, everybody knew he’d be good, but nobody expected this.
In his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles, he rushed for 2,005 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns on 345 attempts (5.8 yards per carry), won the NFL rushing title, and helped lead the franchise to its second-ever Super Bowl, earning Offensive Player of the Year.
He was just 101 yards away from breaking the all-time rushing record during the regular season, and if Philly hadn’t already clinched a playoff spot, he probably would have.
But he took a clear step back last season.
Appearing in the same number of games (16), Barkley finished with just 1,140 rushing yards and seven rushing TDs on 280 carries, averaging 4.1 yards per attempt. He still cleared 1,400 yards from scrimmage, but nowhere near his 2024 pace. Injuries to the offensive line and general offensive struggles played a role as well.
Despite the “down year,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler still had him as the No. 3-ranked running back for the 2026 season in his latest rankings after surveying NFL executives, coaches, and scouts.
He did, however, highlight one notable concern an unnamed NFL coordinator brought up in his survey.
“My only criticism is that he doesn’t always produce when things aren’t completely clean,” the coordinator said. “That’s dating back to the Giants. Tends to need things perfectly set up for him.”
Last year with the Eagles, Barkley ranked 45th out of 60 qualified running backs in yards after contact per rush, a steep fall for a player many viewed as the best in the league a year earlier. His explosive-play rate was worse, too. Fowler noted how he only had four rushes of more than 20 yards. The year prior, he had 17.
Looking at his advanced metrics tells the same story. His rushing yards over expected went from second in the NFL in 2024 to 24th last season. He also ranked eighth in runs of 10+ yards (28), ninth in forced missed tackles (52), and 33rd in yards per attempt (4.1), according to Pro Football Focus. His overall PFF grade was just 67.9, 42nd of 55 qualified backs.
His yards before contact per attempt (YBC) also dropped from 3.8 in 2024 to around 2.3 in 2025.
Overall, a lot of this can likely be traced to the offense struggling altogether. A.J. Brown, Jalen Hurts, and even Devonta Smith all drew criticism one way or another. But now, they’ve got a new offensive system under incoming OC Sean Mannion.
His system features more wide-zone concepts in the running game, which prioritizes athleticism and angles over pure downhill, gap-scheme blocking. That could move Barkley into a more dynamic, explosive role suited to his skill set
Barkley himself has publicly voiced intense excitement about the system, calling the playbook “refreshing” and unlike anything he has played in throughout his career.
If what he’s saying is true, Barkley could be in line for a true bounce-back season in 2026.