Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley was criticized.
In a story from ESPN called "Execs, coaches, scouts rank top NFL running backs for 2026," Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley came in at No. 3.
Only Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons and Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions are ahead of Barkley, who had 1,140 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns in 2025. The three-time Pro Bowler put up 2,005 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in his first season with the Eagles in 2024.
"I'm not going to penalize him for a terrible all-around offense last year," a high-ranking personnel official with an NFL team said. "He's still a three-down weapon and if I needed a running back for one season I'm still taking him 1."
Since 2024, Barkley ranks second in 100-plus-yard rushing games (14) behind Derrick Henry (17) of the Baltimore Ravens.
However, that didn't stop an NFL coordinator from taking a shot at the Penn State product.
"My only criticism is that he doesn't always produce when things aren't completely clean," an NFL coordinator said. "That's dating back to the Giants. Tends to need things perfectly set up for him."
Barkley has played for the New York Giants and Eagles. He enters next season with 8,356 rushing yards and 55 rushing touchdowns.
Sean Mannion is the new OC for the Eagles. He's replacing Kevin Patullo, who was fired after just one season.
The Eagles won the NFC East last season. However, they lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the 2026 playoffs' wild-card round at home.
It will be fascinating to see how Philadelphia's offense performs with Mannion calling plays. Barkley looked like the best player in the NFL during the 2024 season. He came back down to earth in 2025.
The Eagles traded A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots this offseason. For Philadelphia to win another Super Bowl, Barkley, Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith have to play like superstars.
Eagles Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Eagles. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
