NFL teams think Eagles pulled off 1 huge offseason move

Oct 9, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a Philadelphia Eagles helmet at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

One significant NFL offseason move may end up looking like a steal, at least in the eyes of other teams.

In an appearance on “SportsCenter” Sunday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler pointed to the Philadelphia Eagles’ addition of running back Saquon Barkley as perhaps the move of the offseason. It is not just Fowler saying that, though; he said teams around the NFL believe Barkley could impact the Eagles the same way Christian McCaffrey benefitted the San Francisco 49ers.

“The feeling around the league talking to several teams is that Saquon Barkley will make a major impact, maybe even like a Christian McCaffrey-to-49ers type impact because he’s never had this sort of supporting cast, this kind of offensive line,” Fowler said, via Doric Sam of Bleacher Report. “He’s going to make [Jalen] Hurts’ job a lot easier.”

That is pretty big praise, as McCaffrey has turned out to be a franchise-changing figure for the 49ers. In 2023, his first full season with the team, he wound up leading the league with 2,023 all-purpose yards and won AP Offensive Player of the Year honors.

For Barkley, the question may be health. He did play 14 games last season, but did not top 1,000 rushing yards in what was a poor New York Giants offense. Barkley certainly agrees with the assessment that the talent he is playing with is the best he’s seen, though. That could lead to some enormous numbers if they look as good in reality as they do on paper.