Workload Management A Catch-22 For Eagles Saquon Barkley: "He Wants The Rock"

The Eagles running back leads the NFL in touches and is on pace for the highest number of them since 2014.

Eagles RB Saquon Barkley at practice during Week 3 / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA – Saquon Barkley is on what feels like an unsustainable pace. He has 52 touches on two games, which is more than anyone else in the young season.

That puts the Eagles running back on pace to touch the ball 442 times. The last player to have more than 440 touches in a season was DeMarco Murray, who had 449 touches in 2014 with the Dallas Cowboys. His signing by the Eagles following that season was like the coronation of a king, with trumpets blaring, red-carpet roll puts, and rose petals.

Then Murray did nothing in Philly. He had one halfway decent year with the Titans but was never the same after that 2014 season.

Not saying that is a crystal-ball look into Barkley’s future if something isn’t done about his workload, though he is a year older at 27 than Murray was in 2014. Barkley’s workout regimen is probably better than Murray’s was, and that’s not a slight on Murray, but a nod to the fitness regimen Barkley puts himself through.

Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was asked on Thursday about the running back’s touches and if there are any concerns.

"I think that's definitely fair,” he said. “Saquon, he wants the rock. He's done a phenomenal job. From a longevity perspective, we have to be aware of it. We certainly recognize that aspect of it. We have to do at times a better job of that as the game goes on and from a week-to-week perspective.”

After Week 1, head coach Nick Sirianni said the Eagles would monitor Barkley reps in practice, and that certainly seemed to be the case during the 15 minutes or so of Thursday practice that was open to reporters.

Sep 6, 2024; Sao Paulo, BRA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs during the first half against the Green Bay Packers at Neo Quimica Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Barkley was asked about his workload last week.

"I think we do a good job of managing that here," he said. "Whether I do that on my own or take care of my body. Our guys in the strength room and training room do a really great job of monitoring that. I have no worries about that. That's why I train the way I do in the offseason and the work I do in camp and in-season to be able to take on the workload."

Barkley enters Week 3 fourth in the NFL in yards rushing with 204. The Chargers’ J.K. Dobbins is first (266) followed by the 49ers’ Jordan Mason (247), and the Packers’ Josh Jacobs (235).

He ran the ball four times on the Eagles’ second drive against the Falcons, averaged 9.8 yards per carry, then was relieved by Kenny Gainwell. Barkley needed a break, so he was removed after Philly had reached Atlanta’s 15. Gainwell gained four yards in two carries in his relief stint and the Eagles eventually came up empty when a fourth down throw to tight end Dallas Goedert fell incomplete.

"Obviously guys can't go 20 straight plays with that type of workload,” said Moore. “Obviously that's a balancing act. At times guys are going to have to take breathers. That's natural for any human. You're playing a physical activity. It just coincided with the red zone and ultimately we didn't convert. There are different patterns as drives go on and we'll be more aware of that.”

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