New Eagles RB Saquon Barkley lands outside top five of a stacked recent ranking

It wasn't until we saw him doing squats with a smiling Jalen Hurts standing a few feet away that it really sunk in. We knew it was official the moment photos began circulating of him signing his brand new three-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, but it was the social media clips that sent us into a frenzy.

Saquon Barkley is at the NovaCare Complex! Saquon Barkley is meeting with the Philly media for the first time! Saquon Barkley is taking a handoff from Jalen! Wait! Come on man! Saquon Barkley is a freaking Philadelphia Eagle! That's when the adrenaline rush slowed. Okay, serious question... How much does he have left?

While no one will know the answer to that question until the Birds begin their regular-season campaign in Brazil, we can all agree on something. No disrespect to our guys (you know we love you), but Saquon is certainly better than Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott, and D'Andre Swift.

He plays the game's most punishing position, one where guys can quickly leave an imprint and burn out just as quickly. Here's what we can say about NFL running backs though.

No one thinks they need one until they need one. So, for a few ticks let's show Saquon and his peers some love.

Saquon Barkley ranks sixth on Pro Football Focus's list of the top 32 NFL running backs.

Lists... Mock drafts... Power rankings... Whatever... It's something about that stuff that gets us talking, or arguing, or both. Who doesn't love a good list, right? Just the other day, I found myself taking 20 minutes out of my day to watch 'the greatest returns in WWE history' and spend time reading 'ten pictures department stores don't want you to see'.

That may not be everyone's flavor, so here's something for those football appetites: PFF ranked the NFL's top 32 running backs ahead of the 2024 NFL season.

The top five were as follows: Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, Nick Chubb, and Bijan Robinson. Our guy Saquon landed just outside the top five at number six.

Here's what Thomas Valentine, the writer of this one, stated about Number 26:

"After five years with the New York Giants, Saquon Barkley will be toting the rock behind a vaunted Eagles offensive line and hoping for more efficiency. Barkley is still one of the most talented running backs in the NFL but averaged just 3.9 yards per carry in 2023, despite rushing for 962 yards in 14 games.

His 70.2 grade in 2023 was down from his 77.1 grade in 2022, but Barkley still posted solid numbers, and his 719 yards after contact ranked ninth. If he’s healthy, Barkley could explode in 2024."

Rounding out the top ten were Breece Hall (NY Jets), Aaron Jones (Minnesota Vikings), Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions), Josh Jacobs (Green Bay Packers). If you're interested in this sort of thing, no Dallas Cowboys were mentioned (sorry Zeke), and two rivals, Austin Ekeler and Devin Singletary, ranked 29th and 30th respectively.

As mentioned earlier, most of this is for entertainment and to create conversations. No one knows how the coming season will play out. Here's what we're certain of though.

Adding Saquon Barkley to an offense that was already stocked with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and Jalen Hurts has the potential to supernova. Let's hope no one gets hurt though. Things change quickly if that happens.

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