Eagles signing Saquon Barkley isn’t that far from Howie Roseman’s philosophy on running backs

Howie Roseman didn’t suddenly change his philosophy on running backs when the Eagles and free agent Saquon Barkley agreed to a three-year contract on Monday.

Under the right circumstances, the Eagles general manager has shown a willingness to spend on the position if the player is an elite talent who can run, catch, block, and play on all three downs.

Barkley has proved he can be such a running back in the NFL — although the New York Giants’ incompetence in the five seasons since the Penn State product’s explosive rookie season has suggested he’s removed from reaching that level.

Or that he’s started to hit the downward arc that starts for so many tailbacks around the age of 27.

But Barkley, who turned 27 just last month, has remained productive despite playing in one of the worst offenses in the league. A closer look at the film and his numbers also indicates that a change of scenery to playing behind one of the best offensive lines could rocket him back into the top tier of tailbacks.

And it’s not as if the Eagles will break the bank when Barkley officially inks a three-year, $37.75 million contract with $26 million guaranteed when the new league year opens on Wednesday.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Howie Roseman steals Saquon Barkley, Bryce Huff from New York

It’s certainly far more than Roseman has paid a running back in years. But until the details of the deal are known, Barkley’s $12.6 million average per year is only $2.5 million more than he made under the one-year franchise tag last season.

It makes him the fourth highest-paid at his position — behind Christian McCaffrey ($16.01 million), Alvin Kamara ($15 million), and Jonathan Taylor ($14 million), and ahead of Nick Chubb ($12.2 million).

Only Taylor signed his contract after 2021. And with the 13.6% increase in the salary cap this offseason, the Eagles are still investing a relatively low percentage of their funds in the running back position.

Barkley has certainly established he belongs in the above company, and when healthy, trails maybe only McCaffrey in runner-receiver versatility. But he hasn’t come close to matching the 2,000-plus yards from scrimmage he accumulated as a rookie in 2018.

He’s likely to get the opportunity to reach that threshold in Philadelphia. The Eagles will ride him on the ground and on third downs — more than they have with any running back since LeSean McCoy.

McCoy was homegrown and younger than Barkley when he received his first contract extension. But Roseman was open to spending on the running back because he could essentially do it all — including pick up blitzes. (The DeMarco Murray free-agent signing of 2015 came when the GM wasn’t involved in personnel decisions.)

In 2017, upon Roseman’s return to authority, the Eagles would have strongly considered drafting McCaffrey had he dropped to them at No. 14 in the first round. The same would have applied to Bijan Robinson last year had he been available in the latter stages of Round 1.

Special players allow for special dispensations. The running back market in this year’s free agency — teams could open negotiations as of Monday at noon — also compelled the Eagles to uncharacteristically move fast at the position.

They weren’t necessarily against bringing back D’Andre Swift, who had a solid first season with the Eagles in 2023. He set a career-high as a runner (229 carries for 1,049 yards), if not as a receiver, and was voted to his first Pro Bowl.

But Swift left some yards on the table when he bounced rushes outside, and finished near the bottom of the league in yards after contact. He also struggled when called upon in pass protection. When it became clear that teams were prepared to acquire him for more than the Eagles’ valuation this offseason, Roseman narrowed his focus on Barkley.

» READ MORE: D’Andre Swift departs in free agency, as the Eagles see their starting RB go to the Bears

In years past, he might have been able to wait. But with so few running backs tagged, and the upcoming draft believed to be light at the position, teams sped up the process. Swift was first out of the gate, agreeing to a three-year, $24 million deal with the Bears.

Tony Pollard followed with the Titans and the same basic numbers Swift received. The Giants then offset Barkley’s departure by acquiring Devin Singletary (three years, $16.5 million), the Patriots grabbed Antonio Gibson (three years, $11.25 million), and the Packers spent the most on Josh Jacobs (four years, $48 million).

As of Monday evening, Derrick Henry and Aaron Jones were still available. Both are quality running backs, but the former is 30 and the latter is 29. Henry has 2,185 touches over eight seasons — 696 more than Barkley’s 1,489 touches — while Jones is in the same ballpark with 1,451.

Barkley has missed 24 games to injury, with 14 lost to a season-ending torn ACL in 2020. But he’s seemingly the best fit in terms of the Eagles’ needs. They’ve been unable to utilize running backs in the passing game in recent seasons, but the lack thereof may have been partly due to coach Nick Sirianni’s scheme.

New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has had more success involving running backs in the past. Barkley, who increasingly lined up in the slot with the Giants, could be the fourth receiving option this season behind receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert.

Most of his catches should come out of the backfield.

But the bulk of his touches will come on the ground. And even without retired center Jason Kelce, the Eagles should still field one of the better offensive lines in the NFL. Extending left guard Landon Dickerson, as Roseman did on Monday, offered the latest proof that the GM won’t neglect the unit.

» READ MORE: Landon Dickerson and the Eagles agree to terms on a four-year contract extension through 2028

Barkley’s average yards per carry may have dipped to 3.9 last season, but the Eagles offense has historically buoyed running backs’ statistics. The most recent example came with Miles Sanders, who averaged 5.0 yards in Philly and only 3.3 yards last season with the Panthers.

Despite having to run behind one of the worst run-blocking O-lines, Barkley still averaged an above-average 2.91 yards after contact last season, which placed him 23rd out of 59 qualifying running backs, according to Pro Football Focus. (Swift averaged 2.44 YAC yards and finished 52nd.)

Of potential concern is Barkley’s regression in YAC. In 2018 and 2019, he averaged 3.34 and 3.23 yards — and taking his injury-shortened 2020 out of the equation, he averaged 2.69 yards in 2021 and 2.75 yards in 2022.

But Barkley also had as many designed rushing attempts exceed 15 yards the last two seasons (33) as he had in his first two (29). He should still have breakaway capabilities if the holes into the secondary are there.

They have consistently been there with offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland’s run schemes. Defenses took some of the Eagles’ effectiveness away by curtailing Jalen Hurts in the plus-one quarterback run game last season.

But the offense hasn’t had a multifaceted weapon as gifted as McCoy since he was traded. Barkley was a shooting star the moment he walked into the NFL. The woeful Giants and injuries have taken some of the shine off the star from the Lehigh Valley town of Whitehall.

The Eagles are predicting Barkley will radiate in Philly. But their wager on the running back isn’t as reckless as some believe.