Saquon Barkley on pace for most RB touches in 10 years; how the Eagles will handle his carries going forward

PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley is getting every penny of what the Philadelphia Eagles are paying him.

Barkley has had 52 touches through two games, and he's had exactly 26 in every game he's played with the Eagles. If Barkley keeps up that pace, he'll finish his first season in Philadelphia with 442 touches, the most by any running back since DeMarco Murray in 2014.

The Eagles are aware of how much Barkley gets the ball at this point in the season.

“Obviously from a longevity standpoint, as the season goes on, we have to be aware of that,” Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said Thursday. “We certainly recognize that and understand that aspect. We have to do a better job of that as the game goes on, especially when we look at it more from a week-to-week perspective.”

Barkley has been productive with the high volume of touches. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry in Week 1 (24 carries) and 4.3 in Week 2 (22 carries), while averaging 4.8 yards per touch, his highest mark since 2019 (Barkley's second year with the Giants).

Does Barkley feel like he's getting too much attention? He doesn't seem worried.

“I think we do a good job of monitoring that here,” Barkley said after his 26-touch performance in Week 1. “Whether I'm doing it on my own or taking care of my body. Our guys in the strength room and training room do a great job of monitoring that.

“I'm not worried about that. That's why I train like I do in the off-season and work in camp and in season so I can handle the workload.”

Even if Barkley can handle the workload, the long-term effects for a running back who's on pace for that many touches per game aren't pretty. DeMarco Murray had 449 touches in that 2014 season, then went on to have the lowest yards-per-carry average of his career (3.6), his first and only season with the Eagles. Le'Veon Bell had 406 touches in 2017, then sat out 2018 in exchange for a lucrative contract extension. Bell returned in 2019 with a new team and had the second-lowest yards-per-carry average (3.3) among running backs who logged 250-plus carries over the past three seasons.

The Eagles will have to monitor Barkley's workload if they want him to be as efficient as he has been in the first two games of his contract.

“I think it's a fair thing,” Moore said of Barkley's workload. “I think Saquon wants the rock. He's done a phenomenal job.”