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.