Saquon Barkley’s debut with the Philadelphia Eagles was nothing short of phenomenal, and the New York Giants should have a collective pit in their stomach for letting him walk.
Not only did they let him leave in free agency, but they let him get scooped up by a division rival and a team in the Eagles that looks primed to take home the NFC East in 2024.
Barkley scored three touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers on Friday night in Sau Paulo, Brazil. He looked like a completely different, rejuvenated version of the running back that was so dominant during his time in college at Penn State.
Philadelphia’s offense is scary. Quarterback Jalen Hurts seemingly already unlocked Barkley’s pass-catching abilities, as his first touchdown of the game was an incredible end zone snag. He had two catches for 23 yards.
But the Packers had no answers for Barkley on the ground. 24 rushes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. It looked way too easy for him behind Philadelphia’s offensive line, which was still far from perfect in their first game as a unit since Jason Kelce’s retirement.
Hurts and Barkley in the backfield, paired with DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, as one of the best receiving duos in the NFL, gives head coach Nick Sirriani one of the most loaded offenses on paper. And it lived up to the hype in Week 1.
Meanwhile, the Giants are still wandering the desert with Daniel Jones. Their starting running back is Devin Singletary, who has never even eclipsed 900 rushing yards in a season. They’re relying heavily on rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, who was stellar in college, but look at who was throwing him the ball at LSU, and look at who will be throwing him the ball in the NFL.
We hear it all the time: the NFL is a results-oriented business.
It’s hard to see the Giants having improved results with a major downgrade at running back, while their former superstar is already scoring touchdowns for the Eagles, who they will play twice per year.
The Giants haven’t even started their season yet, but you can see how vibes might be low. Not only are the Eagles loaded, but the Giants will also have to deal with the Dallas Cowboys, who are playing Dak Prescott on a prove-it year.
New York has had since 2018 to evaluate Barkley with plenty of contract drama along the way, and GM Joe Schoen ultimately decided that he was not worth keeping around. Eagles GM Howie Roseman gladly gave the star running back a three-year deal worth $37.75 million.
While one game will not determine everything, it seems like the Giants should already be kicking themselves for allowing that to happen right under their noses.
