Saquon Barkley’s 2024 NFL season with the Philadelphia Eagles was nothing short of extraordinary. Now, with the 2025 season on the horizon, one NFL executive is making a confident prediction: Barkley’s dominance is just getting started.
After joining the Eagles from the New York Giants, Barkley silenced any remaining doubts about his potential. He rushed for over 2,000 yards for the first time in his career, took on a career-high 345 carries, and averaged an eye-popping 5.8 yards per attempt. For a team known for its elite offensive line, Barkley became the perfect missing piece in Philadelphia’s backfield puzzle.
Barkley Earns Top Running Back Honors
According to a recent ESPN poll of anonymous NFL executives, coaches, and scouts, Barkley received the most first-place votes in the league’s top running back rankings. ESPN noted that Barkley “got greedy” in 2024 — dominating so completely that he missed out on a unanimous No. 1 ranking by just one vote.
“He was always expected to be this,” an anonymous NFL personnel director told ESPN. “You can call it confirmation bias… 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].”
The Eagles’ Offense Unleashed
Since the departure of LeSean McCoy in 2015, the Eagles have cycled through a rotating cast of running backs, including Ryan Mathews, LeGarrette Blount, and D’Andre Swift. None truly solidified themselves as a long-term solution — until now.
Behind one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, Barkley thrived. Philadelphia abandoned its traditional running back committee and fed Barkley more than any other rusher since McCoy, marking a philosophical shift under head coach Nick Sirianni.
The results? Historic.
Confidence in Barkley’s Future
Not only did Barkley help lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl title, but he also did so while staying healthy — a major milestone given his injury history in New York.
“He can go another few years with high-level play behind that [offensive] line,” the NFL exec continued. With his elite vision, power, and explosiveness still intact, Barkley’s future in Philadelphia looks as bright as ever.
What’s Next?
As the Eagles prepare to defend their Super Bowl crown in 2025, Saquon Barkley remains the centerpiece of their offensive attack. If his 2024 campaign was any indication, the sky’s the limit for the former Penn State standout.
