Report shares why Eagles may, may not part ways with Saquon Barkley before trade deadline

Shortly after the Philadelphia Eagles suffered a 38-21 home loss to the rival Dallas Cowboys that dropped the Eagles to 2-5 this past Monday night, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley challenged his teammates to "never give up" amid what seems to be a lost season for the franchise. 

With Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts out for the remainder of the campaign after doctors discovered multiple blood clots in his lungs, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman could acquire assets for the future by selling multiple starters ahead of the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline. ESPN's Dan Graziano explained why the Eagles could realistically part ways with Barkley before Week 10 of the campaign gets underway.

Can Saquon Barkley prove he's healthy before the trade deadline? 

"(A) He's clearly injured right now, even though he tried playing through it Monday night, and (B) he's a running back who turns 30 in February and is due to make $16M in 2027 and $19.2M in 2028," Graziano wrote about Barkley. "As of now, the only guarantee of that future money is $2.5M in 2027. If Barkley shows he's healthy in the next couple of weeks, it's possible a team would take a shot on him as the potential answer to its run game issues."

Before the loss to Dallas, Barkley hadn't played since Week 4 because of a hamstring injury. He then hurt his back on Monday night, and it's unclear what he'll be able to offer the Eagles when they play at the 1-4-1 Washington Commanders this coming Sunday evening. 

Eagles won't "give" Saquon Barkley away this fall

Graziano and others think that Roseman could both buy and sell ahead of the trade deadline. That said, it sounds like Roseman isn't in a hurry to escape the rest of the money attached to Barkley's existing contract. 

"It's never a guarantee with running backs that the team trading them gets enough in return to justify the deal," Graziano added. "In this year's NFC East, the Eagles can surely convince themselves they still have a shot to compete in spite of their current five-game losing streak and injury problems. So they're not trying to give Barkley away."

The 4-2-1 New York Giants sit atop the NFC East standings, followed by the 3-4 Cowboys. Philadelphia could make things even more interesting regarding the battle for the division title by defeating Washington in Week 8 and the Giants in Week 9. 

If, however, the Eagles end Nov. 8 with a record of 2-7, Roseman could decide that now is the right time to blow things up. For what it's worth, the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals are among realistic potential landing spots for Barkley. The Giants could also use a running back, but there's no reason to believe that the Eagles would be willing to trade him to the divisional foe that let him reach free agency in March 2024.