Saquon Barkley may get the Eagles offense change he wanted.
After a 2025 season in which Philadelphia’s attack never found its footing, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Barkley had hoped to see more carries from under center - a preference that didn’t really take hold last year, but could in 2026 under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.
The Eagles’ offense was the problem area in 2025. Kevin Patullo’s scheme “just didn’t work,” the offensive line was banged up, and too many players simply weren’t good enough when it mattered. Barkley felt the ripple effect most directly, as the run game slid hard from where it needed to be.
Fowler framed Barkley as “the ultimate good teammate who doesn't create issues internally,” while also noting that “whispers began last year that he would welcome running the ball from under center more often,”
That kind of setup makes the wish stand out a bit, even if it wasn’t presented as a problem inside the building. And from Barkley’s perspective, the logic is pretty easy to follow.
As Fowler put it, “That way, he can see the linebackers and safeties more clearly and set up big gains.”
That was exactly the sort of juice the Eagles were missing in 2025. The explosive runs never showed up often enough, and if more under-center work helps Barkley turn more of those carries into chunk gains, Philadelphia should be eager to lean into it.
The encouraging part for Barkley is that Mannion is already planning to use more under-center plays, which opens the door for that wish to become reality this season.
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Former Eagles Running Back Granted Release Amid Heartbreaking Family Crisis
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He had been serving an 18-month federal sentence tied to COVID-related fraud, along with a concurrent state sentence for gun possession, before the court allowed him to leave. The case also took a procedural turn after a motion to withdraw his guilty plea followed a recent appeals court ruling involving New Jerseys assault weapons ban, adding another layer to an already difficult situation that now centers on his daughters condition. [Read more 🡒]