One of the hallmarks of the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive struggles throughout the 2025 season has been far too many negative runs from Saquon Barkley. This was on full display in Week 17 in a 13-12 win over the Buffalo Bills. In tough conditions, the Eagles jumped out to an early lead and were simply content to hand the ball off, even as Barkley averaged only 3.6 yards per carry. This isn't far off from Barkley's season average, with the back just above 4.0 yards per carry. The explosive back is often being hit behind the line of scrimmage and has fallen victim to a predictable offense.
If the Eagles are going to defend their 2024 Super Bowl title, Barkley's snaps are going to have to move in a surprising direction. This isn't about a lack of talent, but the fact that the offense needs to become less predictable and put Will Shipley and Tank Bigsby on the field more often. Barkley should still be playing a high volume of snaps, but getting more rest, allowing Jalen Hurts to be the focal point of the offense.
Running it back is going to require wasting fewer downs by simply running the ball up the middle at predictable times. Vary how often Barkley is on the field and put the ball in the hands of your quarterback far more often on early downs. Not only is this the path to defending last season's title run, but it will help keep Barkley fresh and open up more big-play opportunities.
Eagles Must Lessen Saquon Barkley's Workload Becoming Far Less Predictable Offensively
The biggest reason why Barkley has struggled is that Philadelphia's bland offense invites the defense to attack the line of scrimmage. Making sure you load the box and slow down Barkley is the easiest path to hanging with the Eagles through four quarters, giving the opposition a chance to beat the defending champs.
Resting Barkley and putting the ball in the hands of your quarterback more often changes this, as well as introducing the pass-catching ability of Bigsby and Shipley. Both playmakers are underutilized within the Philadelphia offense and can catch the defense off guard while providing Hurts with reliable targets.
For Barkley, the back can remain far more rested and have a better chance of creating big plays simply by taking a step back and allowing the rest of the offense to shoulder the load. It is an obvious adjustment that head coach Nick Sirianni needs to make to help make a bland offense a bit more balanced and explosive. If the Eagles are going to repeat, it will require reinvention and changing the focus of the opposing defense, even if it means fewer snaps for your star back.