PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley ran onto the field from the sideline to support fellow Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell.
Jalen Hurts was next to join Gainwell, with the quarterback shaking Gainwell’s hand to celebrate the collective score.
Hurts not only found Gainwell for the diving touchdown while working in the red zone during practice, he also found Gainwell on the first handoff of the series, a quick-release completion afterward and a third catch through coverage by C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
The touchdown was the culmination of four successful plays, all by Gainwell.
As Barkley looked on, he celebrated what the Eagles’ RB2 had just accomplished on Barkley’s workload management day (think: rest, without worrying about injuries).
Barkley then discussed offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s 360-degree view of the Eagles’ running back room.
The plan will continue to evolve. Moore and Barkley are both in their first year in Philadelphia after spending six seasons elsewhere (Moore’s NFL playing career goes back even further).
But both men know: They don’t just view running backs as downhill threats. They don’t expect to lock down running backs, literally or figuratively. The versatility and production Gainwell showed on Wednesday spoke to his skill set, but also to the broader running back-usage philosophy Philadelphia will embrace this season.
“You’ve got to be able to catch the ball in this offense,” Barkley told Yahoo Sports after practice on Wednesday. “You’ve got to make people miss. [Moore] does a really good job of putting you in space and giving you a chance to showcase your talent and make plays and you have to be able to adapt to all the runs. Some teams have one identity … [but] In this camp they throw everything at us.
“That is a challenge that not only I, but all the backs in the room, want to take on.”
Eagles’ nuanced RB perspective explains Barkley investment
When the Eagles gave Barkley a four-year, $37.75 million contract with $26 million guaranteed through this offseason, they weren’t underselling his salary in a tight running back market.
Barkley’s $12.58 million average annual salary ranks fourth among running backs, his guarantees third. Perhaps most notably, teams that compensate running backs more handsomely — the San Francisco 49ers with Christian McCaffrey, the New Orleans Saints with Alvin Kamara and the Indianapolis Colts with Jonathan Taylor — aren’t currently on the hook for a mega-deal for a quarterback.
The Eagles pay each of their quarterbacks and two receivers top-10 salaries.
The bold investment partly reflects general manager Howie Roseman’s progressive salary cap dynamics. But the Eagles also still believe in drafting a running back because they don’t correlate market depression with positional importance.
McCaffrey and Kamara are good examples: a running back doesn’t have to contribute to his team just by running.
“[Roseman]’s called it: When you bring in a player that’s going to touch the ball, potentially a couple hundred times, it has a huge impact on the game,” Moore told Yahoo Sports. “When you have guys that can catch a couple of balls out of the backfield and play different positions, you’re just looking at guys that, A, they’re playing more snaps and then B, they’re obviously contributing a lot more to things, just from a touch standpoint.
“Everyone loves to get caught up in this analytical trend of salaries and running backs. [But] “It’s a very, very valuable position.”
Barkley excelled in space in college and has now flashed that explosiveness in both the run and pass game at the pro level, averaging 20.1 touches and 98.8 yards per game in 74 games since being selected second overall by the Giants in 2018.
Sometimes, as in 2022, a functional offense and a healthy starting quarterback helped Barkley’s play move forward. More often, he was asked to create his own chances with improvised throws.
The Eagles’ bet on Barkley reflects both his talent and that of his teammates.
Barkley left a Giants team that finished second in run-block win rate in 2023 for an Eagles team that finished first, with a full 10 percent higher success rate, according to ESPN Analytics. Even with changes along the line, including the retirement of six-time All-Pro center Jason Kelce, Barkley joins a team with more talent and a higher level of scheme on the offensive line.
He played for coaches in his New York chapter who believed in a single style of run-blocking. In Philadelphia, where offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland is also the run game coordinator, Barkley said he’s already been asked to run with duo, midzone, inside zone and tight zone formations.
The Eagles expect Barkley to face fewer high-volume players, as 1,000-yard receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith regularly pose threats.
And speaking of run-pass options: Can defenses really feel comfortable selling everything to defend Barkley? Hurts has averaged 716.3 rushing yards and 12.6 rushing touchdowns per year in three seasons as a starter.
“He’s handing off and you can see the defense has respect for him,” Barkley said of Hurts on a recent play in camp. “It gives me an open hole because the offensive line did a really good job blocking. And then I’m one-on-one with the safety.
“That turns you on.”
The Eagles’ 2024 Offense Plan
The Eagles’ offense in 2024 is a mystery.
Head coach Nick Sirianni comes from one offensive background, Moore from another, and Hurts’ partnership with Moore marks his ninth play-caller in the last 10 years. Add in Barkley’s arrival, and we can predict that the Eagles’ latest style would yield infinite results in an algorithmic call.
But conversations with Yahoo Sports executives, coaches and players this week broadly paint the following picture: Expect Philadelphia’s run game to most resemble the Stoutland-inspired versatility and power that has enabled Philadelphia to field a top-10 rushing attack over the past four years.
Expect Philadelphia’s passing game concepts to more closely resemble what Moore led to three top-10 passing offenses in four seasons as the Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator. A system that emphasizes more West Coast principles than Hurts’ recent coaches have incorporated, with the quarterback tying his feet to progressions and routes more cautiously this season than in previous pro years.
Moore encourages Hurts to stay in the pocket until his third or fourth progression, even at times when he could justify a scramble.
“There is a time and place for struggle, but if you continue to progress, there are great opportunities on the back end,” Moore said.
The Eagles expect Barkley to be one of the threats to make the big move.
“Most of the time when I touch a ball, I’m in open space and that’s really what I was known for in college: making guys miss and getting yards on contact,” Barkley said. “In years past, [it’s been] more like going downhill, getting dirty and breaking down the defense.”
Barkley knows that a few dirty runs to wear down the defense will still be important. The Eagles also emphasize “flip and find” blocks, where skilled players rotate downfield and find blockers to open up lanes when the ball is out of their hands.
But there will be times, both on runs and routes, when it’s Barkley who has the ball in his hands and his teammates are throwing and finding the ball.
Barkley reviews footage of previous backs in Moore’s system to see how Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard and Austin Ekeler used their blocks to make players miss.
He spent this week cold-diving into LaDainian Tomlinson highlights for inspiration, and spent even more time with his son on his lap as they watched actors like Marshall Faulk together for inspiration.
The Eagles hope Barkley’s improved supporting cast and new environment will be as successful as McCaffrey’s move from Carolina to San Francisco.
Barkley is eager to prove them right.
“Be more aggressive [knowing] “I’m going to have a little bit more space, so make me make that extra move,” Barkley said. “Make that guy miss and take him home for a home run, for a long ball.”
