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NFL Offensive Coordinator Takes Veiled Dig at Saquon Barkley
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- NFL Offensive Coordinator Takes Veiled Dig at Saquon Barkley
Most would agree that the Philadelphia Eagles have one of the NFL's best running backs in Saquon Barkley . He's a one-time All-Pro and Super Bowl champion. Yet, after a down year in which he didn't even earn a trip to the Pro Bowl, few would suggest he's the best RB in the NFL. That wasn't the case after the 2024 season, in which he ran for a league-high 2,005 yards and added another 278 yards as a receiver.
Now, many would argue players like Bijan Robinson and/or Jahmyr Gibbs have surpassed Barkley as the best running back today. If that serves as motivation for the three-time Pro Bowl back to have a big season in Philadelphia, so will these next comments from an anonymous NFL offensive coordinator.
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Barkley 'Needs Everything Clean' to Thrive
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Recently, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler polled NFL executives, coaches, and scouts in an effort to rank the top 10 running backs in the league right now. For the record, they ranked Robinson first, Gibbs second, and Barkley third.
While the placement alone was fascinating, things got really interesting in the detailed breakdowns for why the players ranked where they are. The one that stuck out the most came from an unknown NFL offensive coordinator, who provided an honest take about Barkley's running style.
"My only criticism is that he doesn't always produce when things aren't completely clean. That's dating back to the Giants. Tends to need things perfectly set up for him."
Meanwhile, another "high-ranking official" from an NFL team said, "I'm not going to penalize him for a terrible all-around offense last year. He's still a three-down weapon, and if I needed a running back for one season,I'm still taking him 1."
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As you can see, not everyone agrees with the NFL coordinator's hot take, but it sure does provide some strong bulletin board material for Barkley's Eagles ahead of what could be a bounce-back campaign.
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