“You like that last piece, man.” Remember when the Super Bowl was ticking to its end, and Jalen, mic’d up, told this to Saquon. It wasn’t just a passing statement at the precipice of victory. It was a nod to the efforts he put in to clinch that trophy. Just think about it, Saquon’s indelible season saw him being one of nine men who have put up 2000 yards in a season. That’s 2,504 yards in the regular season and the playoffs. No running back has ever done that before. He is on a list where only his name exists. It even got him that 99 rating in Madden. It was a season to remember for the fans and the whole league. But for Saquon Barkley, it’s all in the past.

“No matter if you won a Super Bowl, had a great year, an All-Pro, what you did the year prior, it has nothing to do with this year coming up,” Barkley said. “We’re the 2024 Super Bowl champions. The next season has nothing to do with that.” The Eagles are not riding a wave; they are creating an even bigger one. And Saquon Barkley will be an integral part of the next campaign. But for him to be able to put up numbers the way he did last year, he will need to be mindful of his body. The Eagles don’t want him running out of juice when they need him. Especially with the new OC, Kevin Patullo, demanding more.

According to Brooks Kubena from The Athletic,” it’s difficult to imagine Barkley ever being a minor feature in a Philadelphia system that has been historically run-oriented in the Nick Sirianni era.” A minor role for Barkley? No chance. Kevin is reportedly preparing for a similar workload as last year for Saquon. “There’s organizational trust and faith in Barkley, whose effectiveness didn’t waver with his increased workload in 2024, and whose offseason was structured to prepare him for a similar campaign. Sirianni said the Eagles will again manage Barkley’s schedule during game weeks,” continued Brooks.

Saquon will be man-marked on and off the field as the coaches will ensure he is protected at all times. Game or no game. Jemal Singleton even said, “We’re counting everything.” They are not taking any chances with the best RB in the league in their hands. Certainly, it helps when the player in question understands his role well. “He does a really good job of knowing himself — of when he needs to come out, when he wants to go back in,” Patullo added. “So, a lot of that will be on him, obviously during games, and he’s really good about paying attention to that.”

Last year, there were glimpses of an injury during Week 10, when Barkley played through pain in his left wrist/forearm, and in Week 15, when he had to enter the medical tent after a hit from Fitzpatrick. Although minor injuries are a part and parcel of the league, the Eagles will try to protect Saquon Barkley from this as well. While he is managing to keep up with expectations so far, one player is not meeting them in camp.

Jalen Hurts is struggling at camp

Days after Jalen refused to wear the ring during the Super Bowl ring ceremony, saying, “It was a moment, and now that moment is behind us.” The Eagles arrived at the NovaCare Complex on July 23 for the start of training camp. The players have repeatedly told reporters that they are looking ahead to the new season as the celebrations from the past are over. It’s time to get the swords out again. However, Jalen Hurts is still struggling to get his out of his sheath at camp on Saturday.

As per NBC Sports Philadelphia’s reporter Dave Zangaro: “Overall, it wasn’t Hurts’ sharpest day of training camp. He missed a few throws and even threw one pass into the arms of a new piece of equipment this year that get held up by staffers at the line of scrimmage during 7-on-7s.” The day saw him only throwing 15/24 with  2 TD and 0 INT. One of those was particularly uncharacteristic. A missed deep throw to Brown despite having a clean pocket. However, Eagles’ fans shouldn’t fret as Hurts is notorious for comebacks, while the critics speak too soon.

The Eagles’ QB cannot escape the critics. Last year, it was the inconsistent performances and the question, “Will he be able to step up when the Eagles need him?” Hurts’ response: He took off on the biggest stage of the game. This star QB has an uncanny ability to spit back at the critics with game-time performances. So let the critics blabber on as Jalen Hurts plans for an epic comeback.