Stephen A. Smith wants the Eagles to play Saquon Barkley despite risking injury to cross Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing yards record.
Saquon Barkley and Stephen A. Smith (Image via IMAGO/X)
Since moving to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, Saquon Barkley rushed for 2000 yards in 16 games. Barkley became the first player after Derrick Henry (2020) to cross the milestone this decade, but at the same time, he sits on the cusp of becoming the single-season leader for rushing yards.
The 27-year-old rusher is only 101 yards shy of Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson’s 40-year-old record to write his name in the history books. However, the Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni in a recent press conference revealed that they might rest a few players as they secured the divisional title and playoff qualification.
Barkley is likely to be among the players rested to avoid any injury. ESPN’s senior sports analyst Stephen A. Smith took issue with Sirianni’s decision to not play Barkley. During Friday’s segment of First Take, Smith argued that running backs get very limited opportunities to make their mark on football, especially rushers over 30.
Once they serve their purpose, teams tend to discard old running backs for newer ones frequently. To prove his point Smith highlighted how DeMarco Murray’s career ended at the Dallas Cowboys.
I’ll never forget when DeMarco Murray was a member of the Dallas Cowboys and they gave that brother the ball 392 times and then said, ‘We don’t need you no more.’ Ran him into the ground.
Stephen A. Smith ranted.
Barkley went through a similar experience with the New York Giants before ending up in Philadelphia. Smith urges the Eagles to let the former second-overall pick get his milestone because there’s no guarantee that he will get another one down the line.
If he said, ‘Yo, I’m good.’ If that man wants to play, you play him, and don’t tell me the offensive lineman would be looking for the day off or the week off; if them brothers got an opportunity to block for the all-time leading rusher in NFL history, they would do it.
Stephen A. Smith said.
Saquon Barkley will honor Nick Sirianni’s decision of whether to play him on the final day
Before Smith’s rant on TV, reporters asked Barkley his opinion on Sirianni potentially benching him for the finale against the Giants. Barkly revealed he would honor any decision made by his head coach, even if it meant sitting out in week 18.
Saquon Barkley (Image via ESPN)
It’s an opportunity to implant my name in football history; I may never get an opportunity like that again, so I’m down. But at the end of the day, I don’t care if I’m putting the team at risk. He’s the head coach for a reason.
Saquon Barkley said via Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com.
The Eagles are the overwhelming favorites to defeat the Giants as per USA Today Sports. Earlier in the season, the Eagles recorded a blowout 28-3 win against the NFC East rivals. Saquon Barkley in the game rushed 17 times for 176 yards and scored one touchdown.