Will Saquon Barkley rush for more than 1,000 yards in his first season as an Eagle? The betting odds say he’s even money to do so.
Barkley’s over/under for rushing yards in 2024 has been set at 1000.5, and the odds for both over and under are -112 at FanDuel.
Barkley signed with the Eagles this offseason after spending six years with the Giants. He topped 1,000 rushing yards in three of his six seasons. Last year he fell short, with 962 rushing yards. His median NFL season is 983 rushing yards, so 1,000 is right about what should be expected.
Last year the Eagles’ leading rusher, D’Andre Swift, had 1,049 rushing yards. Swift signed with the Bears this offseason, and the Eagles would like to think they’ve upgraded with Barkley.
Eagles director of scouting Brandon Hunt is interviewing today for the Patriots’ lead personnel job, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Three other candidates declined to interview with the Patriots. Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray, former Cardinals vice president of player personnel Quentin Harris and Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown said thanks but no thanks.
The Patriots reportedly have complied with the Rooney Rule, but it’s unknown who they interviewed (if anyone) before meeting with Hunt. Director of scouting Eliot Wolf has served as the de facto General Manager since Bill Belichick’s departure earlier this offseason, and his expected candidacy for the job could explain the interview rejections.
Hunt previously has interviewed for General Manager jobs with the Raiders and the Steelers and an assistant G.M. job with the Bills.
He joined the Eagles’ front office in 2022, leaving as the Steelers’ pro scouting coordinator when they promoted Omar Khan.
Hunt joined the Steelers in 2010 after working as a pro scout for the Texans from 2007-09. He was an intern in the Steelers’ scouting department in 2005-06.
Jason Kelce won’t be playing center for the Eagles anymore, but he may still have a hand in helping their offensive line.
The Eagles drafted center Dylan McMahon in the sixth round and McMahon met Kelce during his first visit to the Eagles facility last week. McMahon was the 190th pick while Kelce was the 191st pick in 2011 and Kelce noted that the two players have being undersized in common as well.
McMahon said that he’s watched film of Kelce for a long time and that the recently retired Eagle “said he hopes to help me out in any way he can” as McMahon embarks on his NFL career.
“I don’t want to bug him. I’d do it every day if I could,” McMahon said, via Dave Zangaro of NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com. “But he’s got his own stuff going around. He gave me his number. If I ever have a question or anything, I may just hit him up. If he doesn’t reply, because I know he’s got a lot of stuff going on, hopefully he will eventually. As much as I can without bugging him, for sure.”
Cam Jurgens is expected to be the Eagles center, but McMahon could change the plans in Philly if he’s able to turn lessons from Kelce into production on the field.
Teams have often avoided making big investments in veteran running backs in recent seasons, but the Eagles went the other way in free agency this year.
Saquon Barkley signed a three-year deal to leave the Giants for their NFC East rivals and the deal has the fourth-highest average annual value at the position. During an interview with Adam Schein of Mad Dog Sports Radio, Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman was asked about weighing Barkley’s talent against his injury history and the overall picture at the running back position.
Roseman noted Barkley’s ability to do everything asked of a running back and said the team asked itself “is something being undervalued” when considering a run at signing Barkley. They ultimately decided that there was “a way to zig when everyone’s zagging” at the position.
“It’s hard to find difference-making players and people, and it’s hard to find them for a cost,” Roseman said. “Those guys, they go for a lot of money, and we felt like there was an opportunity to get one of those guys in Saquon and bring him to the team. There’s risk in every decision you make, but we don’t think there’s any risk on the talent. We don’t think there’s any risk on the person. And we also feel like maybe — not that it wasn’t anywhere else — but we have a good situation here with us in Philly to kind of maximize him. I don’t think there’s anyone when he came out of the draft that didn’t think he wasn’t a Hall of Fame-caliber talent and person. He’s still young, and we’re really excited to have him.”
The Eagles ended the 2023 season with a sour taste in their mouths. If Barkley helps push them back to where they want to be, plenty of others will be excited about the decision as well.
The Eagles have signed another one of their draft picks.
Fifth-round guard Trevor Keegan has signed his four-year deal with the team. Sixth-round wideout Johnny Wilson has also signed his rookie contract.
Keegan was a three-year starter at left guard at Michigan and was part of an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award as the best in the nation for two of those seasons. Keegan was a captain for the Wolverines during their run to the national title last year.
Cam Jurgens’s move to center leaves an opening at right guard for the Eagles. Tyler Steen and Matt Hennessey are experienced options, but Keegan could work his way into consideration with a strong camp and preseason.