Chasing History Isn't Over Yet For Eagles Star

There’s only one player in the NFL who has a chance to do something that has never been done before, and that is Saquon Barkley. None of the eight players who have run for 2,000 yards came back the next year and did it again.

"There's only nine of us that's ever done it," he said. "It's so hard to do it twice because it's hard to do it the first time,” said Barkley after the Eagles' first day of training camp. “It's a crazy thing that I'm even mentioned with those guys. For me, it's not - 2,000 yards is not the goal. It's winning Super Bowls and going out there and performing at a high level."

Barkley checked both those boxes last year, his first in Philly after being cast away by the Bew York Giants.

Derrick Henry came oh so close to becoming the first player to rush for 2,000 yards in a career last season when he finished with 1,921 in his first year with the Ravens. He ran for 2,000 in 2020 with the Titans.

"I didn't come out here with the mindset of rushing for 2,000 yards. It kind of just happened. It's just staying in the moment, taking care of the little things, staying consistent with my process. Being obsessive with my process. Making sure nothing is non-negotiable.  If it's in the cards, it is. If it's not, it's not."

Barkley said during the spring that he might reach out to Henry in the weeks between minicamp and the start of spring training to pick his brain for mental and physical tips. He didn’t.

“We always do keep in touch here and there on social media, but I didn't reach out to him or any of the other guys that rushed for 2,000 to see what they did and how their body felt for the next year,” he said. “I kinda got a great team here, whether it's my team or within the organization or who I talk to outside this building. I'll follow the game plan they mapped out for me this offseason and continue to follow that throughout the season.”

It’s a team that he will likely captain this season. The Eagles determine their captains based on each player voting. Barkley was not named a team captain, though it was a regular occurrence with the Giants. Not that he has to have the ‘C’ on his jersey to be a leader.

“I've had C's before,” he said. “In New York we gave away too many C's and only six of us could wear it. I didn't really care to wear it. It don't do nothing for me to be honest. 

“The only thing it does is that you see your teammates vote for you and you get that respect, but that respect is shown in other ways, too. Whether I have a C on my chest or not, I know my role. It's my duty to lead and help this team perform at a high level.”