PHILADELPHIA - Saquon Barkley has already earned some heavy praise for the way he’s handled this stretch, with Jordan Mailata calling him a “warrior” and Travis Kelce labeling him a “f****** dog.”
That kind of reaction says plenty about how Barkley’s effort has landed inside and outside the Eagles’ locker room. Even while dealing with hamstring and back injuries, he pushed through Monday’s loss to the Cowboys and now appears ready to do it again when Philadelphia meets the Commanders in another primetime NFC East game with major implications for the Eagles’ season.
Barkley sat out practice on Wednesday and Thursday, then got back on the field Friday. A few hours later, the final practice report listed him without any injury designation heading into Sunday.
The 2024 All-Pro was limited to nine touches in Monday’s 38-21 loss to Dallas, but he’s planning to suit up again as the Eagles try to stop a five-game losing streak.
His reasoning is simple.
“One day I’m not gonna be playing football. Whenever that is, I don’t want to look back and be like, ‘I could have gave it a chance and I didn’t.’
That’s kind of what I live by,” Barkley told reporters on Friday. “So try my best to just keep recovering, being smart.
But I like playing football. So if I have the opportunity to play, I’ll try my best to play.”
Barkley also understands what his presence means for a team sitting at 2-5 and missing Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith and several other pieces on offense. He’s a captain, and his voice has grown louder during this season.
“I’m a big believer in that. I feel like that’s one of my best qualities,” Barkley said.
“... Stuff like that matters to me.
I feel like that was important when we were winning Super Bowls, and it’s going to be more important when we try and dig ourselves out of this predicament and win.”
The impact goes beyond leadership. Barkley remains one of the league’s top running backs, even if injuries have limited his chances to show it this year.
His hamstring issue started early in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams, forcing him to miss most of that game and the next two. He returned Monday night against the Cowboys, but the comeback was messy.
Barkley re-aggravated the hamstring on his first run and then picked up a back injury while compensating for it. Trainers kept working on him throughout the game, and he was in and out of the action.
Still, he squeezed 71 total yards and a touchdown out of nine touches.
Mailata, another captain, said Thursday that Barkley’s willingness to keep fighting through it stood out.
“It’s kinda crazy because you could see how different the defense played when he’s out there,” Mailata said. “They’re trying to get off blocks quicker.
They’re trying to blitz the gap faster, trying to meet Saquon in the hole. It is crazy.
“But what it showed me is the fight that he has and what he’s willing to do to be out there for us. He’s a quality guy. I’m not surprised by the way he responded, the way he played, the way he was trying to make himself available.
“It just shows how much he cares about us, how much he cares about this team and this city.”
Barkley’s long-term future in Philadelphia is less certain. With the trade deadline approaching, there has been speculation about what the Eagles might get back if GM Howie Roseman moved the star back to a contender.
A second-round pick? Maybe more?
That kind of return would matter for a team that is not contending this season and has a long list of needs to address in the 2027 draft.
For now, though, the message is clear: Barkley is still giving the Eagles everything he has. That was true Monday, and it looks like it will be true again Sunday.
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