Jason Kelce weighs in on how the Eagles’ Tush Push looked without him, Saquon Barkley’s debut, and more

The former Eagle still believes in the Tush Push and was impressed by the star running back’s first game with the Birds.

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley celebrates his third-quarter touchdown run with teammates guard Landon Dickerson (left) and wide receiver DeVonta Smith in the season opener against the Green Bay Packers at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer

by Ariel Simpson

Published Sept. 11, 2024, 2:06 p.m. ET

Jason Kelce watched his first Eagles game as a fan last Friday, a 34-29 win over the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil. As one of the NFL’s most durable players, it also was the first Birds game Kelce didn’t play in since he was out of the Eagles’ lineup in 2014 with a core injury.

But this time, he had a different view of the game. Instead of watching from the sideline, Kelce watched in a basement alongside Eagles trainer Joe O’Pella as his former team picked up its first win of the season.

In the 100th episode of New Heights, Kelce talked about everything he saw on Friday night — from the return of the Tush Push to Saquon Barkley’s debut.

First Tush Push without Jason Kelce

The Tush Push has been one of the NFL’s most unstoppable plays the past couple seasons with Kelce under center. In 2022, the Eagles had a 93.5% success rate. In 2023, the Eagles had a 92.5% success rate in the regular season, despite their collapse down the stretch.

So of course we were going to continue to see the Tush Push in 2024, especially since the NFL decided not to outlaw it — although they did tweak the rules. We saw this new-look Tush Push on Friday night with Cam Jurgens under center.

While the first Tush Push was unsuccessful — there were also other factors that could have impacted the results, such as the slick field — Kelce still believes in its future success.

“The more they rep this, the more they’ll get to that 90% success rate,” Kelce said. “This has done nothing to discourage me.”

Saquon Barkley’s eye-popping Eagles debut

Barkley impressed everyone — including Kelce — in his Eagles debut. The former New York Giants running back finished with 24 carries for 109 yards, two receptions for 23 yards, and three total touchdowns.

Kelce liked with the versatility of the running back, which Barkley displayed with his receiving touchdown on a second-and-11 play from Green Bay’s 18-yard line.

“He can run people over. He can make you miss, and he can run, play action, and catch a ball like that,” Kelce said. “He’s just a tremendously talented player.”