Inside the Iggles
FanSided

Philadelphia Eagles rival watch: 4 NFL RBs who are better than Ezekiel Elliott

By Geoffrey Knox

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 05: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys does the "feed me" gesture after a first down in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks during the Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium on January 05, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 05: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys does the "feed me" gesture after a first down in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks during the Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium on January 05, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 16: Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 16: Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

2. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

Take the emotion out of the argument for a second. If you were a general manager for an NFL franchise, and you had the chance to choose Saquon Barkley or Ezekiel Elliott to start your franchise, who are you choosing?

Here comes a controversial statement. We’ve seen the best of ‘Zeke’ and it literally came in his first NFL season. In 2016, he gained 1,631 yards on 322 carries and scored 15 touchdowns on the ground. He added another 363 yards on 32 receptions, and he reached the end zone once as a receiver. He also led the league in post-carry celebrations.

Sure, that’s an excellent campaign, but he hasn’t been able to equal that type of production since, and to be honest, as he gets older, it will be more difficult to even come close.

Barkley entered the league in 2018. In his first season with the New York Giants, with an inferior offensive line, a worse quarterback, and with every team keying in on stopping him, he tallied 1,307 yards. Sure, that’s 324 fewer than ‘Zeke’ gained in his rookie campaign, but he also carried the ball 61 fewer times. He caught 91 passes for 721 yards, and he reached the end zone four times as a receiver. Wait. You do realize Barkley’s a better receiver, don’t you?

Here’s what’s most important. Again, you’ve seen everything Elliott has to offer. You haven’t seen the best of Barkley yet. Remember that.

Home/Eagles News