PHILADELPHIA - Saquon Barkley keeps leaving an impression, and it’s not just because of what he does with the football in his hands.
For Carson Steele, the Eagles’ running back room has already been a memorable stop. Steele called it the best running-back room he has ever been part of, even if his NFL experience is still limited.
He’s only 23, and the Kansas City room he came from also belonged to a recent Super Bowl winner. But Philadelphia brings something different: Barkley, one of the league’s premier backs, sitting in the same room.
“I don’t want to make him sound old, but I’ve been watching him for a long time now,” said Steele, who Kansas City signed as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA via Ball State in 2024.
What Steele sees up close is the version fans don’t always get to witness. He called it “amazing to see it every day,” and said the value goes far beyond what Barkley does on the field. Being around him as a mentor, and learning from him in the room, has already helped.
“That’s the one thing I wish people could see,” said Steele. “Not even as a football player, he’s just a great dude.
Outside of football, talking about life, talking about how things are going, stuff like that. He’s a really great dude.”
Barkley’s routine has become part of the culture around camp. After Monday’s practice, he and a few teammates were out playing with several kids despite the heat and humidity.
That kind of scene apparently isn’t unusual. He also regularly strips off his pads after practice and signs footballs, jerseys and just about anything else fans hand him, sweat and all.
Tank Bigsby, entering his second season with Barkley and expected to be his primary backup, pointed to the consistency that stands out day after day.
“Seeing that mentality he has, and he carries it day-to-day,” said Bigsby. “At camp, you get to learn different people’s personalities because at camp you get tired.
You get to see who a guy is when things aren’t going their way. There are just ups and downs.
But at the end of the day, you get to see different things. Just seeing how he carries himself and is the same person every day is special.
Barkley is 29 now, and the conversation around him naturally turns to what comes next after a 2024 season that featured 2,005 rushing yards in 16 regular-season games. Last year, that number was 1,140. On a recent podcast, I was asked whether we’ll see the Barkley who looked closer to his 2024 form or the one from last season.
My guess is it will be around 1,500. This offense has been an adjustment for everyone, but Barkley seems to be picking it up quickly. He has had an A-plus camp.
Will Shipley summed up the offensive fit simply.
“With Saquon, it’s really just getting him the ball and giving him the opportunity to make special things happen,” said Will Shipley. “I think this offense does a great job of that.”
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