Philadelphia Eagles' new offensive coordinator ignites former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley's optimism for a revitalized 2026 season and a fresh start.
Pretty much from the start of the 2025 season, the Philadelphia Eagles didn't appear to have the juice to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
The offense struggled out of the gates under offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, his first season calling plays.
Former Penn State star running back Saquon Barkley's proaction numbers fell off last season. He rushed for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2024. He rushed for 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025.
Following the Eagles' 23-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers at home in the wild-card round, Philadelphia removed the offensive coordinator tag from Patullo.
Sean Mannion is set to call plays in Philadelphia next season, and the former Nittany Lions running back is eager for a fresh start with a new offensive coordinator.
"I'm super excited about it," Barkley said on the NFL Insiders, via NFL Media. "I'm going on Year 9, which is crazy to say, and I've had a lot of different coaches and head coaches and been a part of a lot of systems.
"I don't think I really came across a system like this. For me, it's refreshing. You get something new. You get to learn something new. I got to meet him. We didn't really talk about X's and O's and kind of just kept it introduction and got to meet a lot of the new guys on offense."
The Eagles offense could look much different next season. Regardless of the scheme, there is a possibility Philadelphia will trade wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Barkley hopes the players on the roster buy into Mannion's plan for the offense.
"All the guys that we hired are super smart and competitive," Barkley said. "They want to be great and they're excited with the talent that we have. I think we buy in to everything that's new... I feel like what we did last year is gonna be in the past.
"You've got to learn from it, and I think that we have the guys that are willing to learn from it. I don't think -- I know we have the guys that are willing to learn from it."
For now, the Seattle Seahawks are the force in the NFC. The Eagles have work to do to catch up to a Seahawks team that looked like it started a potential dynasty in 2025.
For the Eagles to catch Seattle, their players will have to show more effort on and off the field.
And of course, Mannion would be wise to dial more touches for Barkley.