Eagles Superstar's Offseason: 'Let Your Body Heal'

A short offseason after 482 touches is something that could make even Superman slow down.

The Eagles’ version of the “Man of Steel” is 232-pound superstar running back Saquon Barkley, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, who rushed for a league record 2,504 yards, including the postseason.

Barkley turned 28 on the very day the Eagles routed Kansas City 40-22 to win Super Bowl LIX. The difference between that arc of the superstar and the 22-year-old prodigy who arrived on the scene as the No. 2 overall pick by the New York Giants in 2018 is the 1,996 total touches in between.

A younger Barkley was all gas and no brakes. The more experienced, savvier Barkley has learned to listen to his body.

“Everyone that I trust told me, basically, sit my ass down for a little bit,” Barkley admitted this spring.

The touches Barkley had last season were the 10th most in NFL history, and if past is prologue, the All-Pro can expect another heavy workload in the 2025 season.

The good news for Eagles fans is that Barkley’s current approach isn’t traced to wear and tear.

“The beauty of it is, I don’t know how many touches I had or how many yards, but it doesn’t feel like it,” Barkley said. “I feel really good. 

“Feel like I’m entering my prime.”

That’s a scary thought for NFL defenses waiting for the repetition of hit after hit, slowly taking its toll on a physical freak.

For Barkley, the tweaks in his offseason regimen are about learning what works best for him.

“You just gotta be smarter,” he said. “You have your moments where you go in there, you grind, and you push it. A lot of people probably saw the squat video that the Eagles put out. But you have those days. But the majority of those days is mobility, conditioning, doing all of the things to get your body in shape to perform at a high level. 

“It was a [big] workload [last season] but my body feels great. So that’s the most important thing. The way Nick [Sirianni] and everyone here has handled it has been really helpful for me.”

Barkley has a deep interest in the history of the game and the RB position. He often reaches out to some of the best backs who’ve ever played, like Barry Sanders, Marshall Faulk, and Edgerin James.

“I have a lot of great running backs I’m able to reach out to,” he said. “I have a lot of trainers that I work with, trainers that I trust. And kind of listen to your body. Go out there and not go too fast right away, let your body heal.”

All of the information led to one path of “sit my ass down.”

“In past years, when I was younger, you think, ‘Oh, someone’s getting better than me.’ Or I’m relaxing and I see Derrick Henry running hills, or Christian McCaffrey post something [on social media],” Barkley said. “The old me would be like, ‘I gotta go, I gotta go.’ 

“I still have that competitive nature, but two completely different seasons. So just listen to everyone, and when it’s been time to go, I’ve been going. When it’s time to back off, I’ve been backing off.”