Eagles Saquon Barkley Reveals Surprising Phone Call During Cowboys Week

PHILADELPHIA – It’s Cowboys week, and Saquon Barkley can’t wait for the curtain to go up on the season opener against Dallas on Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles running back had a lot to say about the trade of pass rusher and former Penn State teammate Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers but also had another revelation.

Barkley said he spoke to legendary Dallas running back Emmitt Smith on the phone recently.

“He’s super smart,” said Barkley following Monday’s practice. “…I felt it was important for me to reach out to him and thankful for that. I still pinch myself with moments like that.”

Barkley said he went home that day and told him his dad about the conversation.

“I said you won’t believe who I was on the phone with,” said Barkley. “My life doesn’t feel real when those moments happen. There were a lot of key moments I took away from him. It’s important to take care of my body. He did it for a very long time, rushed for a lot of yards – 18,000 something. It’ll be in my best interest to take his advice.”

"My Life Doesn't Feel Real"

Eagles RB Saquon Barkley meets with reporters following a training camp practice. | Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

Fraternizing with the enemy might anger some, but the NFL is a brotherhood that doesn’t pay any mind to what color laundry you’re wearing on Sunday.

Barkley has a long way to go to reach the numbers Smith put up in a Hall of Fame career that lasted until he was 35. Smith finished with 18,355 yards, the most ever by an NFL running back. Barkley has 7,216 and just turned 28 on Super Bowl Sunday, which was the last time he played a game. That near-seven-month drought has him anxious for Thursday night.

“The last time I played was February 9, so I’m super excited to get back on the football field,” he said. “Watching college football (Labor Day weekend) got me excited, yelling at the TV, going through situations, calling (Eagles assistant GM Jon) Ferrari, saying what would we do in this situation or why this, why that, so definitely excited to get back out there, but more importantly there’s no better atmosphere than Lincoln Financial Field and ready to see that on Thursday.”

Barkley won’t have to face his old friend Parsons after Sunday’s trade, though he will have to see him in Green Bay when the Eagles go there for a Monday Night Football game on Nov. 10. Lambeau Field is a stadium Barkley said he has never played in, but when he does, if both he and Parsons are healthy, they will meet up again.

“I’m happy for Micah,” he said. “One, I don’t have to play him twice a year, and two, sadly he’s still in the NFC. But I’ve known Micah since he was a high schooler. I tried my best to help recruit him to Penn State, so we’ve had a relationship for a very long time. For him to sign that contract and get the money he wants, it’s amazing.

“If we wanna get to where we wanna get to, I have a pretty good feeling we might have to see that team again, too. But it’s definitely a blessing not to go against him two times a year.”

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