It’s arguably been the worst season of Saquon Barkley’s NFL career, and outside of the injuries he’s dealt with, he’ll probably look back at this year as one he doesn’t want to remember more than any other.
Barkley is having career lows in multiple categories, when healthy, rushing for just 740 yards on 198 attempts, which is good for just 3.7 yards per carry.
He also has just four rushing touchdowns and has only one since the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 28.
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, there are a lot of other factors that are going into this. Admittedly, it seems like Barkley has lost a step or two, and his explosiveness doesn’t seem to be there. According to Fowler, when speaking with people inside the league and those with knowledge of the Eagles’ process, they don’t think those explosive runs are what they once were.
“Saquon Barkley has two rushes of more than 20 yards and one of more than 40, compared to 17 and seven, respectively, last season,” Fowler wrote. “When speaking with both people inside the league and those with knowledge of the Eagles' process, it's really that simple. Those explosive runs a year ago opened up timely plays in the passing game. This year, they aren't there. That's a major issue.”
“The offensive line attrition can't be understated. Tyler Steen, while nimble in pass protection, isn't considered the run-game mauler that Mekhi Becton was for them,” Fowler explained. “Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson have been beat up all season. And Lane Johnson is out for the foreseeable future with a foot injury. There are no easy solutions at the moment, which magnifies a passing game that always had limitations, only it doesn't have the big Barkley gains to offset it now.”
Running backs often find a way to break tackles and score touchdowns, typically resulting in big plays. If there’s been one player in the NFL who has been very good at that over the past few years, it’s been Barkley.
Ultimately, the season isn’t over yet, and if he can regain his form over the next few weeks, this won’t be as big of a deal, but it’s also tough to ignore at this point.