Eagles listed as potential suitor for Saquon Barkley

The Philadelphia Eagles will need to address the running back position over the offseason, as D'Andre Swift, Boston Scott and Rashaad Penny are all headed for free agency. Could Philadelphia turn to a longtime division rival as the answer?

According to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, the Eagles are a potential suitor for Saquon Barkley. Barkley played the first six years of his career with the New York Giants, but the Giants didn't designate Barkley as a franchise player for 2024, which means that he's headed for free agency and could sign elsewhere. That's where Philadelphia comes in.

From Leonard:

"And while it’s still possible Barkley could return to the Giants after testing the waters, it’s more likely that he will be playing somewhere else in 2024.

"Sources view the Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles as some primary potential suitors who have the resources, need and interest to possibly sign Barkley."

There's a lot to unpack here, with the most obvious takeaway being that the Eagles are far from the only suitor for Barkley. The Ravens, Raiders, Bears and Patriots were all also mentioned, and other teams are likely to come out of the woodwork in the coming weeks.

Would Barkley make sense in Philly?

The Eagles would clearly have competition for Barkley's services, but it's fair to wonder if he would even be a logical addition for Philadelphia. He's obviously a great player, as evidenced by his two Pro Bowl selections. But, Barkley will almost assuredly be looking for a large contract, and the Eagles already have a whole lot of money allocated for offensive skill players.

Using a sizable chunk of their available cap space on a running back might not be the best idea for Philly. Spending some of that money on the other side of the ball might be a better idea. Plus, there are teams that simply have more cap space to work with than the Eagles.

So at the end of the day, there's a good chance that there will be other teams out there willing to offer Barkley a larger deal than the Eagles. That's not the end of the world for the Eagles, though, as there will be several other attractive options available on the market, including Swift, who the Eagles should strongly consider re-signing.