Saquon Barkley is Not Coming To The Eagles, And That Is A Good Thing
For whatever reason, people love to create rumors about the Eagles going after big-name RBs every off-season. Last year it was Derrick Henry who people attached to them. All because former NFL player and American Ninja Warrior host Akbar Gbajabiamila reported it was happening. Never mind the fact he is not a reporter, people jumped all over it. Now this year we are seeing rumors that Saquon Barkley could be coming to Philly. But don’t buy into them.
Giving RBs big money has never been Howie Roseman’s, or the Eagles, style. The last time they gave an RB big money was Demarco Murray. That was Chip Kelly’s doing though, and it blew up in their face. Before that, they paid LeSean McCoy. In that case, it was a homegrown player though, not a free agent. This year would certainly not be the year they break that trend given how many other needs they have.
Your other sign that it has no merit is that none of the Eagles reporters are saying it. Is Tim McManus saying it? Jeff Mclane? EJ Smith? Anyone who is actually around the building and has a history of being credible? No. It comes from a NY Post writer who covers the Giants. He may know what Saqoun is interested in, but there is no reason to believe he knows anything about the Eagle’s plans.
Tim McManus joined The Best Show Ever on Wednesday. While he did not outright say the report has no merit, he laid out the reasons why the rumor pretty much has no leg to stand on:
“Barkley is probably going to command north of $10 million. I don’t know if Roseman would invest that much in the RB position, given what we know about him. As we discussed, there are other needs at spots on this roster. But I still think you can get a difference-making RB at a lower number given the circumstances here. There are a lot of good RBs, and only so many spots for them to go.”
Barkley just makes no sense for the Eagles. he will command too much, and they have too many other needs. They have proven you can get elite production from the RB spot without an elite RB. Their o-line, even without Jason Kelce, is still among the best run-blocking o-lines in the league. Lane Johnson and Jordan Maialta were 1 and 2 among Tackles in run Block WinRrate. Landon Dickerson was number 1 among Interior Lineman. They don’t need Saqoun Barkley to be an elite running team.
That $10 million is better spent elsewhere. Cornerback or Safety in particular. Their defense was a mess last year. That is where they need to invest their cap space. There are good, if not great, RBs available at far better value than Barkley. They can go after one of the second-tier free agents like Gus Bradley. They can draft one with a day 2 or day 3 pick, and have them cheap for 4 years. You might even see a big name have to settle for a small contract for all the reasons McManus discussed.
Saquon Barkley is not worth it though. Giving RBs big contracts has more often than not, spelled trouble for the team signing them.
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