Training camp for the Philadelphia Eagles has been quite the last three weeks, but with many of the storylines, some are being covered up more than they should be.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley seems to always be in the spotlight, but not as much attention has been paid to the kind of training camp he has had. Well, in the past week, he has dominated the defense, and the Eagles' latest practice showed that.
There was a concerning update that Barkley hurt his ankle, but it doesn't appear to be serious, so there's no need to be concerned. What he did during the practice before that, though, should concern NFL teams.
"Before tweaking his ankle late in practice, Saquon Barkley had another strong day running the ball," NBC Sports Philadelphia Eagles reporter Dave Zangaro observed. "He showed his burst on a play where he was bottled up and had to bounce it toward the left sideline. He caught Kelee Ringo a little flat-footed and was able to race around him to the edge."
Eagles training camp is showing Saquon Barkley getting his confidence back
Last year was miserable for Barkley despite still being one of the top 12 leading rushers in the NFL. He finished with 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns, but only averaged 4.1 yards per carry. This is a massive difference from the 2,005-yard and 13-touchdown season he had in 2024.
Many were worried that the regression was finally beginning for Barkley, prompting many Eagles fans to call for Tank Bigsby to start getting more touches. Barkley has continued to prove throughout training camp that he should still be the leading man in the backfield.
Much of the burst of speed and vision Eagles fans saw in 2024 is starting to creep back in during training camp. He's even showing the team he can make an impact in the passing game by improving his receiving skills.
At age 29, there is bound to be a time when the topic of Barkley and how long he will be on the team comes up. Training camp seems to be doing the opposite, almost turning back the clock a bit and rediscovering why he was Offensive Player of the Year in 2024.
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There is a crowd out there that will say, "It's only training camp. Don't get too excited about it." Forget it. Don't listen to them because Barkley appears to be back in his old form, and he's ready to show the NFL he deserves to be back in the conversation for the league's best running back.
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