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With Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley looking to add to an exceptional NFL career this upcoming season, it's hard for people to imagine that he can top what he did last season. As the Eagles running back Barkley tries to run all over the Dallas Cowboys, the rest of the NFC East, and the NFL in general, the latest prediction from ESPN has him reaching new heights.
Barkley would rush for 2,005 yards on the ground last season, which is eighth all-time in a single season, to go along with 13 touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN would speak to an NFL personnel director who said that Barkley could put on that “high-level play” for several more years due to his talent, but also the excellent Philadelphia offensive line.
“He can go another few years with high-level play behind that (Eagles) line,” the director said to ESPN.
Fowler's latest column ranks the top 10 running backs for 2025 with insight from executives, coaches, and scouts, with Barkley as the clear No. 1 choice.
“Barkley got greedy in 2024. He clearly wanted every first-place vote in our 2025 poll,” Fowler wrote. “And he got all but one of them. Barkley's Super Bowl parade-inspired run in 2024-25 harkens back to then-New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman taking serious heat for selecting a running back with the second overall pick despite plenty of good quarterbacks available in the 2018 draft.”
“Barkley was just that good,” Fowler continued. “And, just maybe, that pick wasn't so bad and Gettleman looks smart? Let's just say scouts around the league who once forecast Barkley as a transcendent player can admire those old scouting reports with a low-key fist pump.”
The journey taken by Eagles' Saquon Barkley
While it remains to be seen if Barkley does any change with the Eagles for this upcoming season, it's still interesting to look at the journey he's had in the NFL, starting with coming out of the 2018 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects at the position ever. Taken with the second overall pick, his time with the New York Giants showed massive flair, but also some disappointment due to the quality of the team, which was pointed out by the league personnel director.
“It was almost like this was expected — he was always expected to be this,” they said about Barkley. “You can call it confirmation bias. Everybody thought he was a great player [at Penn State] and he proved what people thought he would be. It just took some peaks and valleys. And he was in a bad offense [in New York].”
Including the postseason, Barkley had 2,504 rush yards, which are the most in a season in NFL history. He looks to keep it up with Philadelphia and win back-to-back Super Bowls as the team opens next season against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, Sept. 4.
