Saquon Barkley seeks advice from great running backs as the Eagles build on their ‘attack mindset’

Saquon Barkley has former running back friends in high places. He’s spoken about them before, from Barry Sanders to Emmitt Smith, but he isn’t trying to brag when he brings them up in interviews.

In fact, Barkley came from a place of vulnerability when he spoke on Friday about why he’s been in touch with some of those greats at the position — whom he would not mention by name — this week.

The Eagles’ run game isn’t clicking like it did last season. Barkley, the 2024 offensive player of the year, has not eclipsed 100 rushing yards in any of his last four games, including Super Bowl LIX. He’s averaging 3.3 yards per rush, the second-lowest single-season clip of his career. So, Barkley reached out to his Rolodex of running backs for advice.

“I was like, ‘Hey, [stuff] ain’t working,’” Barkley said. “‘What do you see? What can I do?’ Pretty much like that. The honesty, the honest answers that they give me, it’s important.”

Sometimes, that advice comes unsolicited. After the Kansas City Chiefs game in Week 2, one TikTok user’s video went viral when he discussed Barkley’s “tell” on pass plays in which his head would move as he read the protection. On run plays, his head stayed still. Adrian Peterson sent the video to Barkley with the reminder, “Make it all look the same,” the Eagles running back said.

This week, those honest answers have been rooted in simplicity. Barkley said every member of the operation “could be a little more detailed,” starting with himself. For Barkley, that’s as simple as getting his eyes in the right place and ensuring that his shoulders are square. That’s as simple as establishing a connection with the players who block for him up front.

By honing in on those small details, Barkley and the Eagles’ rushing attack aim to establish an identity as a group. Last year, Barkley said, the Eagles’ run game generated explosive plays predominantly on gap-scheme runs. That hasn’t been the case yet this season.

Barkley doesn’t like to use the word “searching” as it relates to the Eagles’ ongoing quest to unearth an identity in the run game, because he said it implies that something isn’t working. The 28-year-old running back emphasized his belief that the Eagles are still one block away from ripping off an explosive run.

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The group has to do a better job of imposing its will, Barkley said, just as it did last season.

“It wasn’t like we were coming in games and guys were like, ‘Hey, just run the ball on us,’“ Barkley said. ”Teams will continue to try to stop the run. That was the focal point to stop the Eagles last year, too. They’re just doing a better job of it. We’ve got to do a better job of just adjusting and accepting that challenge. And having more of an attack mindset."

That “attack mindset” has been a popular topic of conversation among the Eagles’ offensive stars this week, from Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown. Barkley said Kevin Patullo has made it a point of emphasis coming off a narrow victory over the Los Angeles Rams in which the offense floundered in the first half and flourished in the second.

“The beauty of the game last week, obviously, the first half was so bad and the second half was so good, that’s something we can build off of and we can build off of both,” Barkley said. “Sometimes you can get caught up in what teams are going to try to do to stop us. And not so much of you have a hard time stopping us. That’s the kind of the mindset that we’ve got to continue to have.”

That approach will be all the more important against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a 3-0 team that has pulled off come-from-behind wins in all three games. Barkley said Baker Mayfield is one of his “really good friends” who’s both “super confident” and playing well.

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Of course, Barkley won’t face Mayfield on the field. He’s well-acquainted with Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles and his vaunted defense. Tampa Bay has a formidable run-stopper in Vita Vea, who is listed at 6-foot-4, 347 pounds (although Barkley said, “whatever they have him listed as, add 30 to 40 pounds“).

Bowles also has a penchant for blitzing. Barkley is a key part of the Eagles’ pass protection, which has faced the blitz on 40.5% of Jalen Hurts’ drop backs this season, according to Next Gen Stats. That rate is the third-highest in the league. Barkley acknowledged that he has had “one or two” lapses in pass pro that he wants to clean up going forward.

Ultimately, he aims to bring that “attack mindset” to Sunday’s game as the run game attempts to rebound. That means setting the tone when the ball is in his hands, whether he’s making people miss or falling forward for extra yards.

“I think that starts with me,” Barkley said. “That’s something that I have to do a better job of. Hopefully I’m able to show that this week.”