Eagles Brass Believes Saquon Barkley is Special: 'Hard to Find!'

The Philadelphia Eagles' belief in running back Saquon Barkley is tied to evaluation, not valuation.

Spring talk in the NFL is often just that, discourse without empirical evidence to back anything up.

The most high-profile move the Philadelphia Eagles made this offseason was the signing of running back Saquon Barkley, the 2018 No. 2 overall pick of the in-division rival New York Giants.

Barkley showed plenty of individual signs over his six seasons with the Giants, being named Offensive Rookie of the Year and earning two Pro Bowl berths with three 1,000-yard rushing seasons and three 50-catch campaigns.

Despite a host of injuries and and nearly 1,500 touches on the odometer the Eagles believe Barkley remains a true three-down back in an era in which that role is growing ever closer to extinction.

Speaking to NFL Media at the Owners Meetings, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni explained the organization's thoughts on Barkley:

"I'm really excited about Saquon and the things that he can do," Sirianni said. "You know he's such a dynamic football player. Both as a running back and also the things he can do as a pass catcher.

"He's going to bring an element to our offense and to our team."

That tracks with the belief from outside the NovaCare Complex. Multiple NFL sources told Eagles Today that Howie Roseman has long admired Barkley's skill set and believes he's more than just a running back, a position the Philadelphia GM has helped devalue by building two Super Bowl rosters since 2017 despite limited resources at RB.

For whatever reason, Roseman has tried to downplay the organizational sea changes at RB by pointing to his pre-exile stint as GM when the league and his mindset was different.

“I would actually say our history is a little different than maybe is being portrayed, or at least is being told to me it’s being portrayed," Roseman told reporters per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I was in the front office when we paid Brian Westbrook. In 2012, LeSean McCoy got a $9 million a year contract when I was the GM."

That is a disingenuous spin on how the organization has done business in the Roseman 2.0 era and wasted breath because the Barkley move will be judged on its merits. Either the Penn State product is still the player the GM has evaluated him to be or Barkley won't be a bullet point when discussing the evolution of the position and its market years from now.

The brass tacks with Barkley isn't about valuation for the Eagles, it's about that evaluation.

"I think, for us, it’s hard to find special players at any position," Roseman said. "We think Saquon’s a special player, a special person. And when you’re trying to find those guys, they’re hard to find, especially on the open market.

"And then you put in the dynamic about have we gone so far, has the pendulum swung so far at this position? The guy touched the ball 300 times a year – hopefully. There are not a lot of other players, skill position players, that are touching the ball that many times, and have that affect.”

The organization is saying Barkley's different, a weapon who will be far more impactful than a traditional running back.

That's the thesis in March but any NFL theory needs to be proven in the laboratory come September.

"How many times have I watched him on the opposite sideline and playing him two times this last year, three times the year before, and two times the year before? Sirianni asked rhetorically. "It's like, 'Man, we don't have to play against that guy anymore, great.' And he's on our team, even more perfect. That's exciting because we have seen him up close and personal, we just know how good of a football player he is."