Eagles Could Have New Wrinkle In Passing Game

Once upon a time, in 2018, Saquon Barkley was targeted 121 times in the New York Giants’ passing game. Just a rookie at the time, he turned those targets into an incredible 91 catches for 721 yards and four touchdowns. He had 73 targets and 52 catches the following year for 438 yards and two scores.

Barkley can be a target in the passing game, even all these years later, and maybe, if you’re looking for new wrinkles with Kevin Patullo as the Eagles’ first-year offensive coordinator, this might be one – throwing the ball to him.

The running back has had more targets this summer than last, or so it seems.

“I don't really do the numbers,” he said on Monday after Day 9 of Eagles training camp. “I just come out in practice and try to execute the plays. It's something I'm really comfortable with, something I've done in my career - especially early on in my career. I gotta be able to adapt.”

Perhaps this will another way the Eagles will try to prevent the pounding he takes when he runs the ball – get him in space and give him an option to get out of bounds rather than take a hit.

Barkley was targeted just 43 times in the Eagles’ Super Bowl season, making 33 catches for 278 yards and two touchdowns. Those were the second-fewest targets he’s ever had, though his previous low of nine came in 2020 when he played just two games before tearing his ACL.

Kenny Gainwell was targeted 22 times in the passing game last year, but with him having left for Pittsburgh in free agency, those targets will have to be made up elsewhere. Will Shipley and A.J. Dillon could cut into them, but there could still be more to go around because it stands to reason that opposing defenses will try to take away the running game. Throwing him the ball could force other teams not to gear up to play the run all the time, especially on first down.

“Said after the first press conference at the end of last year, I gotta be different,” said Barkley. “What does different look like? I don't know. I gotta be effective in many ways.”