PHILADELPHIA - There wasn’t much more Saquon Barkley could do in his first season as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.
The superstar running back rushed for an NFL record 2,504 yards (including the postseason), earned first-team All-Pro honors, and was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year for what was a Super Bowl LIX-winning team.
Yet Barkley “only” finished No. 2 on the annual Eagles On SI’s countdown of the best 25 players on the roster entering training camp, with the team set to report on July 22.
No. 1 will be revealed on Monday, July 14.
Two things stand out about the results in which EOSI beat reporters Ed Kracz and John McMullen compiled their top 25 selections separately, and a point system determined the final list, with No. 1 receiving 25 points down to one point for No. 25.
The first is that the reigning Super Bowl champions have so many good players that you can make an argument for four or five different players to top the list. The second and more important sentiment is the definition.
If you’re debating most impactful player, Barkley would have been battling Super Bowl MVP quarterback Jalen Hurts for the No. 1 spot.
The idea here is to determine the best pure football player on perhaps the NFL’s most talented roster. Impact (the quarterback would also be No. 1 on most lists, whether good, bad, or indifferent) is not what this ranking is about. It’s Bill Belichick rules to determine who does their particular job the best.
Barkley still finished No. 1 on Kracz’s list but came in at No. 3 on McMullen’s behind the winner and future Hall of Fame right tackle Lane Johnson. Kracz had the ultimate winner No. 2 on his list, with second-team All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter No. 3, and Johnson at the fourth spot. That means the 48 points Barkley received came up one short.
It should be noted that Barkley himself called the winner the best football player on the Eagles lasts season, although teammates can often be self-deprecating.
The more important part is Barkley’s discussions during the season, admitting that his pass-catching work and pass protection weren’t up to his own standards at times. The latter was still very good when measured against his peers, but his work as a receiver was more pedestrian, ranked at No. 24 by Pro Football Focus.
That’s the context of finishing No. 1 vs. No. 2 and how close it was.
What can’t be denied is that Barkley has one of the best seasons a running back has ever had in the history of the NFL.
