The Philadelphia Eagles are pretty much out of the playoff hunt, with a slim hope that they go on some insane run in the second half of the season. So the question is: why in the world is the team really considering letting Saquon Barkley play in Week 9 against the New York Giants?
Barkley has had a rough season dealing with injuries. Since Week 2, he has dealt with a stringer, a hamstring injury, and a back injury, which has made things tougher for him.
Despite all that, he has missed a few games but has mostly played through the pain and tried to help his team. While every Eagles fan admires what he is doing, at some point the franchise has to step in and stop this man from further injuring himself.
Saquon Barkley is on pace to play for the Eagles against the Giants
Barkley is surprisingly having a good statistical season for the Eagles so far, even though he has missed two games. He has gained 274 yards on the ground and has scored two touchdowns in each of the last two contests. His 4.9 yards per carry is up almost a yard from last year.
Even with the offensive line struggles and the insane number of injuries around him, Barkley is still managing to be more productive this season than he was last year. That's a good thing to see, as it shows that he has not lost his touch, and there's every reason to believe that he can still be a great running back in the NFL.
He has even shown his toughness throughout the season by wanting to play despite all the injuries he has had. Barkley has gained a ton of respect from the fan base for what he has done for the team.
This week has seemed to be somewhat better on the injury front for Barkley. He missed Wednesday's practice, but returned on a limited basis on Thursday. All signs are pointing towards him playing once again. With the bye week coming up, though, do the Eagles really have to let him play?
Eagles have to consider not playing Saquon Barkley before the bye week
Look, everyone understands that a win over the Giants could technically increase their chances of winning the NFC East and making the playoffs. At 2-6, though, this Eagles team has a 2% chance of making the playoffs, so does the team really want to do this?
Barkley is hurting, and he's not going to stop himself from playing because he loves football and wants to help his team. You've got to respect that, but also, it may not be the smartest thing.
The bye week is right after this game, so giving him two weeks to rest his back and hamstring could do a lot for him. Heck, if this game is a blowout and our chances of making the postseason decrease, it could finally wake the franchise up to place Barkley on IR and shutting him down for good.
This could be seen as tanking, but the Eagles have to start thinking about the future here. They are pretty much quietly doing it with DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks without even letting them practice. Why not do the same thing with Barkley?
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Barkley has more than earned everyone's respect and appreciation in Philly for showing what an athlete should be: tough, gritty, and determined. That doesn't mean the franchise needs to be stupid about this either. Let the man rest in Week 9 and see where the team is in the playoff conversation after the bye week.
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