Eagles RB Miles Sanders will be better long-term than Saquon Barkley

The Philadelphia Eagles are more concerned about overworking their star.

We’ve seen two games played by the New York Giants in 2021 now. Saquon Barkley has been on the field for both of them, but he just doesn’t look like the guy that put NFL defenses on notice in 2019.

2020’s campaign ended after two games and 19 carries thanks to a torn ACL. Over the course of his first two games of this season, he’s carried the ball 23 times for 83 yards, and other than a 41-yarder versus the Washington Football Team, most of those totes haven’t been very Saquon Barkley-like.

He’s reached the first-down marker twice. He hasn’t gotten in the end zone since the Giants met the Eagles two days before New Year’s Day in 2020.

Saquon Barkley doesn’t look like he’s mentally past his injury. He doesn’t appear to be as explosive as he once was (two years ago, he would have scored on Thursday night’s long-gainer). Frankly, at the risk of being disrespectful (and we can say this as the Giants have said this about Eagles rookie DeVonta Smith), Saquon Barkley looks like a guy that isn’t having any fun.

Barkley looks like he still doesn’t understand why Odell Beckham Jr. isn’t his teammate anymore. Frankly, he looks like he’s tired of the physical abuse that he’s taken, but here’s what Barkley and everyone else needs to understand. Seeing as how he’s the only offensive weapon the Giants have with the ability to consistently bother defenses, this is a trend that will continue.