No one can deny that Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has phoned it in during the regular season, despite the team's horrendous start after his Week 7 performance.
Barkley entered the game with questionable status on the Eagles' final injury report before facing the Dallas Cowboys, as he has been dealing with a hamstring injury. That hamstring has cost him the two games before the Monday Night Football showdown.
Throughout the week, expectations were that Barkley would play despite being limited in practice. He took the field and, despite only playing 10 offensive snaps, he made the most of it and showed the Eagles fan base that he needs to stick around beyond the trade deadline.
Saquon Barkley battled for Eagles in their Week 7 loss to the Cowboys
It might have been a losing effort, as the Eagles fell to the Cowboys 38-21. Still, Barkley was an impact player every time he stepped on the field.
Barkley touched the ball on three of the four plays to their opening-drive touchdown. He caught a 12-yard pass, then ran for a 29-yard gain, and closed it out with an eight-yard touchdown run. On his 29-yard run, it was clear that he pulled up with the same hamstring that had been bothering him.
After that, he was all over the place about when he would return to the game. Every time he touched the ball, his hamstring bothered him. At some point, though, his back started hurting, and by the fourth quarter, he was questionable to return with a back injury.
When all was said and done, Barkley had seven carries for 62 yards and one touchdown in those 10 snaps, averaging 8.9 yards per carry. He also had two receptions for nine yards in the loss.
It's a shame Barkley wasn't 100% healthy in this game. Otherwise, he would have done so much more damage to the NFL's worst run defense entering Week 7.
Eagles simply can't just let Saquon Barkley go in a trade yet
Philly fans will try to justify trading Barkley at the trade deadline if he is able to get healthy enough. Even if he isn't healthy and is forced to stay on the team through the 2026 season, they will call for him to be traded in the offseason.
With its top two receivers out, an offensive line down three Week 1 starters on the offensive line ou, and a franchise quarterback who lost the season, Barkley still averaged almost nine yards per carry, even with the offensive line out due to a hamstring injury. That doesn't sound like a guy you should trade.
Entering the game, Barkley averaged 5.1 yards per carry, one yard more than in 2025. He's proven he still has it. That explosiveness the Eagles fans saw in 2024 is still in him.
The unfortunate part is that he can't stay healthy. Understandably, people worry about that part of his game since he's had the stinger, hamstring, and now back injuries on top of it.
Still, the Eagles can consider drafting a rookie running back in the offseason if they want to find his successor. Barkley, though, still looks like a great player on this offense and was a big reason the unit had one of its best performances of the season.
Read more: 7 instant reactions to Eagles' soul-sucking Week 7 loss to the Cowboys
Philly can't give up on Barkley yet. He's worth keeping around for 2027, and let him use 2026 to get healthy. Everyone else is hurt anyway, with Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith, so treat this year as a wash and come back next season for one final run before completely blowing up the skill positions.
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