PHILADELPHIA — There was a time, Philadelphia Eagles working again Saquon Barkley mentioned, when he would see clips of Derrick Henry working hills or Christian McCaffrey understanding and really feel compelled to spring into motion to maintain tempo, pondering, “I’ve obtained to go.”
The aggressive nature stays, however the circumstances are totally different this offseason, with Barkley coming off a marketing campaign during which he shattered his earlier excessive in carries. And so he’s as an alternative listening to a refrain of confidants — a bunch that features Eagles coaches, mentors and a pair Corridor of Fame backs — who’re advising him to take a extra measured method to his coaching to permit his physique to heal.
“You’ve got simply obtained to be smarter, proper? You’ve gotten your moments the place you go in there and also you grind, you push it,” Barkley mentioned. “However the majority of these days is simply mobility, conditioning, doing all of the issues to get your physique in form to carry out at a excessive degree. It was a variety of workload [last year], however my physique feels nice, in order that’s a very powerful factor.”
Barkley had the most effective seasons for a working again of all time in 2024. He rushed for two,504 yards over the common season and the postseason, breaking the single-season file. The reigning Related Press Offensive Participant of the Yr added 499 yards and 5 touchdowns within the playoffs to assist Philadelphia seize its second Lombardi Trophy.
The Eagles leaned on Barkley fairly a bit to gasoline their offense. He completed the common season with 345 carries — 50 greater than his earlier excessive of 295 set in 2022 — and ran the ball 91 extra occasions within the playoffs.
The pure concern is whether or not the consequences of that degree of utilization will carry over as Barkley enters Yr 8.
Barkley, 28, consulted head coach Nick Sirianni, working backs coach Jemal Singleton and a pair of former greats in Marshall Faulk and Edgerrin James, amongst others, who all had related recommendation for him.
“It wasn’t onerous as a result of everybody I belief informed me mainly to take a seat my ass down for slightly bit,” he mentioned following the staff’s lone minicamp observe final week.
Sirianni famous that every participant within the group has an individualized coaching routine primarily based on numerous elements, together with participant suggestions and enter from the trainers and energy workers.
“We type of monitored everyone as we went,” Sirianni mentioned. “We obtained a variety of good work in, Saquon obtained a variety of good work in and yeah, I am happy with how the offseason program has gone.”
The upcoming weeks can be slightly totally different for Barkley as nicely. He defined that in earlier years he would attempt to come into coaching camp prepared for Week 1. This time round, he’ll be acutely aware to not overdo it through the staff’s down interval and can enable camp to assist work him into correct form for the beginning of the season.
So far, the method appears to be working for Barkley.
“I really feel actually good,” he mentioned. “I really feel like I am coming into my prime.”