Analyst says Eagles RB is ‘doomed’ following 2,000-yard campaign

Here we go again. Another offseason, another analyst with a spicy “Eagles will fall off” take.

This time it’s Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport, who says Saquon Barkley is doomed to fall flat in 2025. Not decline. Not regress. Doomed. The same Saquon who just ran for over 2,000 yards, led the Eagles to a Super Bowl, and won Offensive Player of the Year. That guy.

You’d think Barkley robbed this man’s fantasy team in cold blood the way he’s talking.

Eagles RB Saquon Barkley Is Built Different

Let’s be real — there’s levels to this. Barkley isn’t your average high-usage back. Yes, the “Curse of 370” stat is floating around again (RBs who get 370+ touches tend to fall off the next season), but so what? You can make anything sound ominous if you cherry-pick 25 examples from the last 20 years. Two backs out of 25 improved the following year? Cool. Guess what those other 23 didn’t have: an Eagles offensive line, Nick Sirianni’s system, or Jalen Hurts keeping defenses honest.

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Barkley isn’t a volume-dependent grinder getting fed on a rebuilding team. He’s a dynamic weapon in a loaded offense. You could give him half the carries in 2025 and he’d still finish top five in scrimmage yards. That’s how explosive he is.

Eagles Just Gave Him $41 Million — and They Know What They’re Doing

Let’s not skip over the fact that the Eagles just made Barkley the highest-paid running back in NFL history. Two years, $41.2 million. $36M guaranteed. On top of a three-year deal they gave him last offseason. You think Howie Roseman hands out historic extensions to guys he thinks are “doomed”?

This front office is too smart for that. They saw what Saquon brought to this locker room, this city, and this offense — and they locked him up again before the rest of the league could blink. That tells you everything you need to know about where their confidence is heading into 2025.

Barkley’s Still the Favorite, and Rightfully So

Vegas oddsmakers aren’t sweating this “fall flat” nonsense either. Barkley is the favorite to win Offensive Player of the Year again, with better odds than Ja’Marr Chase or Jahmyr Gibbs. That’s not sentiment. That’s cold, hard data backing the belief that Barkley is still him.

Look, Philly isn’t new to doubt. They said Hurts wouldn’t pan out. They said Sirianni was a puppet. They said we’d never recover after losing key vets. And now they’re saying Saquon — after the best season of his life — is about to turn into a pumpkin? Miss me with that.