Eagles Give Positive Injury Update on RB Saquon Barkley
The Philadelphia Eagles may have caught a break when it comes to running back and reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley and a scary injury moment in a 38-20 win over the New York Giants in Week 8.
Barkley was taken out of the game with a groin injury in the second half, but not until he rushed for a season high 150 yards on 14 carries to go with 1 rushing touchdown and 1 receiving touchdown.
According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Barkley could have returned if the game would have been on the line.
“Eagles running back Saquon Barkley left Sunday’s game late in the third quarter with a groin injury,” Florio wrote on October 26. “He did not return. Per the team, he could have returned to the game, if needed. He wasn’t needed.”
If Barkley was going to get even mildly injured, now would be the time.
The Eagles have their bye in Week 9 and don’t return to action for 15 days, when they face another Super Bowl contender in the Green Bay Packers.
Barkley’s Early-Season Struggles in Spotlight
Barkley’s breakout game comes after 2 months of having his every carry picked apart by the media, and for good reason.
In 2024, in his first season with the Eagles, Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season and helped lead his team to a Super Bowl win.
Barkley, who became the highest paid running back in NFL history, had yet to have a 100 yard game through the first 7 weeks of the regular season.
“It’s a shocking regression,” Fox Sports color commentator and former NFL tight end Greg Olsen said during Philadelphia’s Week 7 win over the Minnesota Vikings in which Barkley had 18 carries for 44 yards. “It’s just continued today.”
Through 7 games, Barkley had 113 carries for 369 yards and 3 touchdowns. That put him on track to rush for approximately 896 yards in a 17-game season.
Barkley’s Focus Remains On Winning Games
Whatever the talking heads might say about Barkley’s stats, the message from the player himself throughout the season has been focused solely on one thing: Winning.
“People get caught up in how winning looks … it’s winning,” Barkley said after the win over the Vikings. “It’s our team beating their team. Whatever it looks like, that’s all that matters. To win the football game. That’s what matters.”
In stark contract to that approach, star wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith complained publicly in 2024 about not getting the ball enough during a 10-game winning streak.
Brown did the same thing this year as the Eagles reeled off 4 consecutive wins to open the season.
While Barkley’s game has been picked apart and Brown’s diva behavior has as well, much of the blame for any offensive struggles should land on first year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
Patullo was hired as offensive coordinator to take over for current New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore. The Eagles currently rank 23rd in the NFL in total offense.
“Plenty of finger-pointing will occur this week after another disappointing performance by the Eagles. Since the same issues continue to occur, Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator will receive the brunt of the vitriol,” Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski wrote on October 10. “It’s deserved, though.”
Lions Urged to Add $106 Million Edge Rusher in Blockbuster Trade
The Detroit Lions have improved nearly every aspect of their defense over the last few years, building a once bottom-dwelling squad into Super Bowl contenders.
But while one of the biggest additions was No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions have struggled to add a competent counterpart to their star edge rusher. One insider suggests Detroit could cover that need at the upcoming trade deadline, taking aim at one of the best players in the game.
Maxx Crosby Named a Potential Trade Deadline Target
Reporter Christian Romo of the Detroit Free Press broke down the team’s potential targets at the upcoming NFL trade deadline, naming Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby as a dark-horse candidate.
Romo noted that Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton suggested the Lions could land Crosby for a massive package of draft picks that includes two first-rounders. While Romo noted that the trade would remain unlikely, stranger things have happened this NFL season.
“It’s unclear if the Lions would be willing to give up that much for Crosby, or even if the Raiders would be willing to part with Crosby in the first place,” Romo wrote. “But with edge rusher Micah Parsons having already moved from the Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers before the season began, anything seems possible.”
Raiders Turned Down One Maxx Crosby Trade
The Raiders don’t appear willing to part ways with their star edge rusher — at least not at the proposed prices so far. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported that the Dallas Cowboys made an offer both for Crosby and for another star edge rusher, but were turned down both times.
“Dallas is trying. They’ve actually called around,” Glazer said Sunday. “They called the Raiders for Maxx Crosby, was told no. They called the Bengals for Trey Hendrickson, was told no. They are calling around for help on defense.”
The denial could have come from Crosby himself. NFL.com reporter Grant Gordon reported that Crosby let the team know he doesn’t want to be moved.
“Though the Las Vegas Raiders are mired in last place in the AFC West with just two wins through seven weeks, defensive end Maxx Crosby isn’t looking to move on and neither is the franchise,” Gordon reported. “The Raiders and Crosby met Tuesday, with the team conveying it was not shopping him nor would it trade him, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero and NFL Network’s Jane Slater reported. Crosby has no desire to be traded, either.”
The Lions could have other targets at the trade deadline if Crosby is off the table. They have been consistently linked to Hendrickson, though the Bengals have also been unwilling to listen to offers for their star edge rusher.
Other Lions insiders believe the team could look for a partner in the struggling Miami Dolphins, who have a pair of capable edge rushers in Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb. Though the Dolphins picked up their second win of the season on Sunday, they have dropped out of playoff contention and could be looking to make deals at the trade deadline.
