I thought the Eagles spent big on a running back.
It turns out they invested in a savior.
No, I’m not talking about rushing yards, broken records or breakaway runs.
I’m talking about the not-so-obvious (but maybe should have been more obvious) value Barkley brought to the table. It doesn’t show up on a stat sheet. You’ll never hear about it when film is broken down. It has nothing to do with Pro Football Focus scores, All-Pro selections or future Hall of Fame debates.
But it was so evident when watching the NFL Mic’d Up Super Bowl 59 special on NFL Network.
Barkley, who had a pedestrian statistical performance against the Chiefs, wasn't just an exemplary player in is first year in midnight green. He was a leader. He was a glue guy. He was the best player without an ego, something this locker room desperately needed.
A year after a collapse, I didn’t think of Barkley as that when he signed. I thought of it as a player transaction. Perhaps the Eagles had intel and knew what Barkley was. Or maybe it was an out-of-nowhere added benefit. But I now know this: The Eagles wouldn’t have been this great if Barkley had a different personality.
We first saw it when he didn’t chase a personal record vs. the Giants in October. We saw it to an even greater degree when Barkley (while expressing some disappointment) put the team above himself with immortality on the line.
But Mic’D Up really hammered it home.
And then there was this from Greg Bishop’s Sports Illustrated cover story on the newly-minted Super Bowl champions.
Elements beyond tough conversations, relayed by two sources with direct knowledge of last season in Philadelphia, included: meetings of the team’s leadership council with coaches and executives … one players-only meeting late last season … repairing of relationships between star players … and, this, from 2024. “Saquon,” one source says, “healed them.”
When you see quotes like “changed this team” and “healed them” as the celebration continues, the full picture comes together. The Eagles just didn’t get an all-time player. They got a leader, a selfless teammate, and someone that could change the franchise both on the field and in the locker room.
Is it too early for dynasty talk? I don’t think so!
Brian Dawkins thinks back-to-back titles are in play, mostly because of the team’s MVP.
My latest thoughts on losing Kellen Moore and the offensive coordinator search on WIP Daily.
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