The Philadelphia Eagles could be on the verge of a fire sale after losing to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night — a fifth consecutive game in what’s starting to look like a lost season.
At the top of the list of players for whom other teams will come calling is running back Saquon Barkley, who has been nursing minor injuries all year but could be lethal for an offense given a few weeks to heal — and a better offensive line.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano named the Cincinnati Bengals as a possible trade destination for Barkley with the November 10 NFL trade deadline looming.
The Bengals are coming off a 35-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7 in which they outscored their opponent 35-0 in the second half, and did it without any semblance of a rushing attack.
“After trailing 13-0 at halftime, the Bengals dominated the second half on the strength of Joe Burrow’s arm,” Graziano wrote. “The quarterback was 22-for-30 for 292 yards and four touchdown passes. When everyone is healthy, the Bengals’ passing offense is about as reliable a unit as there is in the league. The Bengals’ run game this season has been anything but. Cincinnati entered Sunday’s action ranked 27th in the league with 82.8 rush yards per game, and it ran for 73 yards on 20 carries Sunday. The Bengals are 4-2 and a half game behind that weird Pittsburgh/Cleveland first-place tie in the division, but the Bengals have not been able to run the ball at all, and they would love to find a way to balance the offense if they’re going to make the run they expect to make.”
Saquon Barkley Tops List of Eagles Trade Targets
Barkley topped Bleacher Report’s list of possible Eagles trade targets after the loss to the Cowboys.
“The Eagles have Saquon Barkley under contract for two more seasons, but he turns 30 in February,” Moe Moton wrote on October 27. “General manager Howie Roseman can get ahead of the star running back’s potential decline by trading him this year. Barkley has already missed two games with a hamstring injury and didn’t finish the last outing because of a back injury. He’s running behind an offensive line that lost two starters early this month, Lane Johnson and Cam Jurgens, so the three-time Pro Bowler will probably struggle in Philadelphia for the remainder of the season.”
How Season Fell Apart for Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have watched their season unravel in less than two months because of injuries—and a burgeoning scandal that could lead to even bigger problems.
Before that, though, things probably started falling apart when NFL All-Pro offensive tackle Lane Johnson retired after 14 seasons — and did so four games into the regular season. That was followed by the Eagles trading Pro Bowl center and Super Bowl champion Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens.
The final straw for the Eagles likely came when Super Bowl MVP quarterback Jalen Hurts was ruled out for the season on October 17 after blood clots were discovered in his lungs — how exactly that came to be is still a mystery.
Eagles Urged to Trade RB Saquon Barkley to AFC Contender