Saquon Barkley looks to do for Eagles what Christian McCaffrey did for 49ers

Ralph Vacchiano

NFC East Reporter

PHILADELPHIA — In an era where running backs have been almost universally devalued, the counterpoint has been out in San Francisco. Because when the 49ers traded for Christian McCaffrey in 2022 they instantly became an NFC power. And McCaffrey shook off years of struggles and revived his career.

That’s the template Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles are hoping to follow. They might not build their offense around Barkley as much as the 49ers did with McCaffrey. But they both sure are hoping for — and perhaps expecting — similar results.

“I decided to come to this team because I knew this team could help me with my legacy for my career,” Barkley said after his first training camp practice as an Eagle on Wednesday. “And I know we have an opportunity to go out and win games.”

Though they are avoiding any public signs of overconfidence, they are absolutely expecting to win a lot of games in Philadelphia after signing Barkley to a three-year, $37.5 million deal with $26 million guaranteed back in March. He was the key addition they hope will turn their fortunes around after a 10-1 start last season that had them looking like a championship contender spiraled into a shocking, 1-6 finish that left them looking lost.

They see Barkley as the kind of weapon that could make their offense impossible to stop, since it’s already loaded with an MVP-caliber quarterback in Jalen Hurts, arguably the best 1-2 receiving combo in the NFL in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert. That’s what McCaffrey did in 2022 when he joined a 49ers team that had been to the Super Bowl the year before and already had weapons like receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle, too.

Those 49ers were coming off a loss in the NFC Championship, but were floundering at 3-3 when McCaffrey arrived. They lost his first game in San Francisco, but then won 12 straight…

Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/saquon-barkley-looks-do-eagles-christian-mccaffrey-did-49ers

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Publish date : 2024-07-25 14:44:14

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