The Philadelphia Eagles went through a lot in the 2025 NFL Season, and it unfortunately turned into one of those years. For whatever reason, the odd-numbered NFL seasons don't always yield great results for the team.
In 2021, 2023, and 2025, it's been a one-and-done club in the playoffs, but they've made it to the Super Bowl in 2022 and 2024, which should mean that 2026 is going to be another Super Bowl run! Obviously, this pattern can't keep up forever, and it does feel like the odds aren't in the team's favor for 2026.
Without AJ Brown, the offense is missing an explosive element that had been present for four seasons. And now, suddenly, almost, running back Saquon Barkley is entering his age-29 season. That may not seem like a big deal to some, but data says otherwise.
Philadelphia Eagles may have to brace for a decline from Saquon Barkley in 2026
Here are some notable past and present running backs and their production in their age-29 seasons:
Frank Gore: 258 carries, 1,214 yards, 8 touchdowns, 4.7 YPC, 16 games
Christian McCaffrey: 311 carries, 1,202 yards, 10 touchdowns, 3.9 YPC, 17 games
Melvin Gordon: 90 carries, 318 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3.5 YPC, 10 games
Ezekiel Elliott: 74 carries, 226 yards, 3 touchdowns, 3.1 YPC, 15 games
Derrick Henry: 280 carries, 1,167 yards, 12 touchdowns, 4.2 YPC, 17 games
Le'Veon Bell: 39 carries, 101 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2.6 YPC, 8 games
Aaron Jones: 142 carries, 656 yards, 2 touchdowns, 4.6 YPC, 11 games
Alvin Kamara: 228 carries, 950 yards, 6 touchdowns, 4.2 YPC, 14 games
Of the eight running backs listed, only three played a full season, and those three were the only ones who eclipsed 1,000 yards on the ground. Now, yes, before you yell at me, this isn't a perfect science, and you could surely find more examples of players at the position lighting it up during their age-29 campaign, but running backs typically have a shorter shelf life than other players at different positions.
All of those carries do put a lot of wear and tear on players, and it's evidenced a bit above. While the 2025 season wasn't necessarily Barkley's fault, the running back did see a decline in carries, yards, touchdowns, success rate, longest run, yards per attempt, and yards per game.
It was, by all metrics, a worse season. He finished with 865 fewer yards, which is substantial. Furthermore, Barkley has eclipsed 300 offensive touches in three of the last four seasons. His scrimmage yardage total of 1,413 was the fourth-lowest of his career as well, but the lowest of his career when he's played 16 games.
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I am not saying that it's 100 percent set in stone that Barkley is about to go on a decline, but it would not be the most shocking thing in the world. For a team that needs its offense to get back on track, Barkley's role is that much more important for 2026.
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