How Saquon Barkley quickly established himself as leader with Eagles

Shortly after running back Saquon Barkley signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent last March, his new teammates noted how he embraced a leadership role following the retirements of "culture guys" Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox.

The Athletic's Brooks Kubena expanded on all that Barkley has meant for the 14-3 Eagles behind the scenes in a lengthy piece published on Friday. 

"Comfortable in the spotlight, earnest in his interactions, Barkley quickly became a mentor to the team’s young core and an ally to its proven pillars," Kubena explained. "Barkley, an avid golfer, organized outings to bond with dozens of players. ...[and] became an encourager within an organization that places a high value on player mentorship."

Barkley previously served as a team captain with the New York Giants and joined an Eagles side that was coming off a brutal collapse, one that included the club going from 10-1 to 11-6 before it suffered a blowout wild-card playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Following that defeat, stories emerged about quarterback Jalen Hurts possibly lacking leadership qualities and about the Eagles allegedly dealing with "a problem that would splinter any group of men." Philadelphia went into its Week 5 bye this past fall at 2-2.

Like he did with the Giants last season, Barkley worked to prevent the 2024 Eagles from falling apart when things looked bleak. It also didn't hurt that he became the uncrowned Offensive Player of the Year Award winner who ultimately led the league with 2,283 total yards from scrimmage and who probably would've set a new single-season rushing record had he fought to play in Week 18 when Philadelphia was locked into the No. 2 seed for the playoffs. 

Eagles rookie running back Will Shipley mentioned how Barkley "is always pushing me to strive to be my best," while rookie wide receiver Johnny Wilson added that "you play a little harder" and "want to block harder" with Barkley in the backfield. Meanwhile, the Giants seemingly became an absolute mess following Barkley's departure.

As of Friday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Eagles second among the betting favorites behind the 15-2 Detroit Lions (+115) at +300 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIX. Philadelphia hosts the 11-6 Green Bay Packers this Sunday in a wild-card matchup. 

"He’s big on the camaraderie in the team," right tackle Lane Johnson said about Barkley. "I felt that from the very beginning. It usually doesn’t happen that quick. It usually takes a couple years."