EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPHILADELPHIA -- There were moments this summer when running back Saquon Barkley stirred the echoes, flashing a quick burst or a sudden jump cut or a moment of competitive overdrive that brought to the surface what he's done and what he's capable of.Day 8 of training camp might have been the highlight. It started when he barreled into the end zone on a deep red zone run and finished the play with a well-spirited shove of cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, helping awake a sagging offense.Moments later, with the unit backed up, Barkley hit Jordan Davis with a hop step move that left the defensive tackle chasing wind as Barkley sped through the crease and raced to daylight.The days the attack looked best this offseason were the ones when Barkley was featured. This should come as no surprise to anyone who watched their Super Bowl run in 2024, when Barkley set the NFL record for most single-season rushing yards, including playoffs, or saw how the operation fell off last year as the ground game labored to find its footing behind an ailing offensive line.But it was a reminder that for all the discussion about quarterback Jalen Hurts and his fit in the new system, so much of the Eagles' fate is actually tied to whether Barkley, in Year 9 and five months away from his 30th birthday, can recapture his NFL Offensive Player of the Year form while acclimating to a new scheme."The more productive we are in the run game and stuff feeds off that, we'll see the Saquon of two years ago," Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson said. "We'll see the big plays, we'll see him flexed out wide at receiver, see him in the screen game."Barkley acknowledged he's "going back to like I'm a little kid again" in some respects, working on his steps and techniques to match the new Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay-like system implemented by offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. This heavy under-center, wide zone scheme is largely new to him."Guys who do really well in outside zone scheme stuff are more like one-cut backs," he said. "I naturally, especially after my ACL [tear in 2020], like to cut off of two, so just prepping myself."Barkley is known to study his contemporaries -- players such as Christian McCaffrey, Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs -- as well as the "OGs" to see how he can improve his game. This offseason, he reached out specifically to Todd Gurley, the former Ram great, for advice on how to thrive in this type of system.The main difference between inside zone -- which he has majored in since coming to Philly -- and outside zone is that inside zone requires a healthy amount of patience and a strong jump cut, Barkley said, whereas outside zone necessitates a mindset of "attacking it more, stretching them, getting the defense to expand, and when you get the opportunity to put your foot in the ground, do it fast, violent and physical."With the offensive line creating wide angles by getting out in space, Johnson likened it to "riding that wave," where if the back can't get to the perimeter, he'll read the backside blocks and choose the gap to shoot through."I feel like it creates a lot more running lanes instead of, we were in more of a narrow style angle last year so it's more sideline to sideline and his ability to cut back," Johnson said.As training camp showed, the big-play potential is there.That was the bread and butter for the 2024 Eagles offense, as Barkley led all backs with 46 rushes of 10-plus yards. A lot of the credit goes to the offensive front, with Barkley also leading running backs in average yards before contact (4.17). Last season, the yards before contact plummeted to 2.31 yards on average (25th) and he dropped to eighth in runs of 10-plus yards (28). Overall, he ran for 1,140 yards (4.1 YPC) last season compared to 2,005 (5.8 YPC) the season prior.The offensive line enters the season largely healthy, offering promise that Barkley will have some big holes to fly through once again."I think he's been very excited about being able to run in a new scheme and maybe have some more consistent action to some degree," Hurts said. "I know he's worked his tail off and I have a lot of confidence and excitement for him and his ability and what he's going to do."Not only is the offensive line in a better place but Barkley is as well. He shot past his career high in carries (345) during the regular season in 2024 and added 91 more rushes in the postseason. That number fell to 280 last season. And while the wild-card playoff exit against the San Francisco 49ers was disappointing for the Eagles, it gave everyone more of a physical and mental break this offseason, including the 29-year-old Barkley."Huge," said running backs coach Jemal Singleton, on the benefits of the longer layoff. "He could take the time from the offseason and get his rest but then come back and start working. So I feel like he's in a really, really good place now. ... It's going to be exciting to kind of see him go."Singleton can see it most in the conditioning part of it where Barkley, who shares a backfield this season with a pair of capable backs in Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley, has stayed on the field for more plays during long drives while looking "explosive."Put the fresh legs with a revitalized offensive front in this run scheme, and there is optimism Barkley can ascend to the top of the running back class once again."Being a better playmaker," Barkley said on what he wants to improve from last season. "That's why I was brought here, that's what I feel I'm one of the best in the league [at] and just bringing that back."
