It’s apparent that Saquon Barkley is playing through multiple injuries. That’s a fact that the Philadelphia Eagles running back hasn’t tried to hide.
As the All-Pro has admitted that he’s playing through hamstring and back injuries, he made it clear that he’ll do what it takes to push through the pain, playing on a snap count.
But at a certain point, the Eagles need to make a tough decision. One logical path would be trading Barkley to a current contender to make his decision to play through the pain actually worth his time. The other path would be shutting him down for the season, saving his body for next year.
Since Saquon has been told he won’t get traded–and the running back confirmed he is not going to demand one–it might be time to take the second road.
Eagles Get Strong Push To Make Difficult Saquon Barkley Decision
Multiple team reporters and insiders are sending a key message that the Eagles need to hear on the Barkley front:
“If the Eagles are not trading Saquon Barkley, then he is obviously in their long-term plans. He has made clear that his body is not where it needs to be. It would be malpractice not to protect a star player who is not healthy in a lost season,” Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski writes.
“Barkley didn’t practice all week and gave it a go on Friday to prepare to play Sunday night. The Eagles need to preserve Barkley and protect him from himself at this rate, as this team isn’t worth risking a major injury for over the next few days,” Jeff Kerr of Bleeding Green Nation said. “Give Barkley a week off, which gives him two weeks to heal up with the bye week. Then bring him back to help out this anemic offense.”
Reporters around the team aren’t the only ones calling for Barkley to sit. Over the past two weeks, many NFL fans have done something similar. Not only has Barkley lacked practice reps, but he’s constantly getting checked on and worked out by the Eagles’ training staff throughout the past two games. It was noted on the broadcast many times that he doesn’t get a chance to sit because he’s staying loose.
Saquon Barkley’s Past Two Weeks
After missing two games, Barkley returned to face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7.
The veteran running back looked good from a production standpoint. He rushed seven times for 62 yards and scored his first touchdown of the season.
Unfortunately, the back injury popped up and limited him to just 15.2% of the offensive snaps. While that increased to 31.9% in Week 8 against the Washington Commanders, Barkley still took on just 13 carries for 30 yards and one score.
The Eagles are on a six-game skid. If Barkley is in the long-term plans, is it worth it to keep rolling him out with a team that clearly isn’t going anywhere this year?
