SJM 0924 Saquon Barkley - FINAL_Profile ( Dept . ) 9 / 19 / 24 12 : 20 PM Page 4 S A Q U O N B A R K L E Y this team because I know this team can havea new offensive coordinator , anni’sthree seasons as head coach . As help me for my legacy , for my career . . . . KellenMoore , and Barkley offers much thisyear’s training camp developed , There might be games where they’re moreupside as a receiver than DeAn - therewas concern over whether the going to hand the ball off to ‘ 2 - 6 ’ and dreSwift , last year’s premier Eagles run - teamhad a decent third wide receiver , I’ve got to try to take over the game . ningback , or Miles Sanders , their top afterBrown and Smith . Maybe Barkley There might be games where I’ve got to rusherbefore that ( and Barkley’s makesthat role less important ? sit back and watch A.J . Brown do what understudyat Penn State . ) It’sworth noting that Barkley does he does , or Devonta Smith . . . . Whatever Barkleycaught 91 passes for 721 havemileage on his legs , from his more I’ve got to do to win games , is what I’m yardshis rookie year with the Giants . than1,500 NFL touches . There was ACL going to do . ” Twicesince then he has passed the 50 - surgeryin 2020 and there have been a It’s hard to know right now exactly catchbarrier . The Eagles haven’t had a coupleof ankle injuries since . Barkley how Barkley will be used . The Eagles backcatch 50 passes in any of Nick Siri - hasaveraged 11.25 games per season over the past four years . But he seems healthy and spry as the Eagles embark upon a season in which they are pre - dicted to again be among the NFC’s top teams . And Barkley is finally playing with a top - ranked offensive line , some - thing he never had with the Giants , even though he left as their fifth - all - time - leading rusher , with 5,211 yards . “ Yeah , Saquon is a special player , ” Moore said during camp . “ You could see it out here , without even pads . Just his burst , quickness , ability to hit the hole . He’ll be a guy that you can utilize in all aspects of the field . He can be a ‘ space ’ player , which we’re excited about in the passing game . He’s going to be able to attack people in a lot of different ways . “ That’s the exciting part . It won’t be just a downhill run game . He’ll be able to emphasize and do some other things . ” Barkley is from Lehigh County , Pennsylvania , and one of the big rea - sons he wanted to sign with the Eagles was the continued proximity to his family , he said . ( Presumably , none of them are Giants fans . ) On an Eagles podcast , Barkley said he and his girlfriend , Anna Congden , both Penn State alums , found Philly especially attractive . “ When you check off all the pros and cons , Philly aligned with every - thing we want to do , for football , for after football and for my family , ” Barkley said . “ Being closer to where I was at for most of my life , and Anna’s from here , too . . . . All those [ things ] went into play , not just football . It was like , les ‘ Doyou want to go to this [ other ] place , Eag ordo you want to go right down the phia road , where we can stay close to adelour familyand we can go compete for Phila ofchampionship ? ’ ” sy Nextto those considerations , the urte heatedrivalry apparently was a corela - os ? tivelyminorconcern . Phot S O U T H J E R S E Y M A G A Z I N E | V O L U M E 2 1 • I S S U E 6 | S O U T H J E R S E Y M A G A Z I N E . C O M | 2 7