Barkley Returns to Eagles Backfield as Hurts Nears Season's End

The Philadelphia Eagles will have Saquon Barkley available when they host the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night at Lincoln Financial Field, ending a two-game absence for the 2024 Offensive Player of the Year. Barkley is officially active for Week 7, though the offense around him remains thin: Jalen Hurts is expected to miss the rest of the season after doctors found blood clots in his lungs, and receiver DeVonta Smith is ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Barkley's availability moved from questionable to active over the weekend. He sat out Thursday's practice as a limited participant, returned to that status on Friday, and took every rep as a full participant Saturday. The Eagles listed him as questionable with a hamstring injury before Monday night's game, then cleared him.

The numbers show what his presence changes. Across four games, Barkley has run 36 times for 182 yards, an average of 5.1 yards per carry, with no touchdowns. Every other Philadelphia running back has combined for 71 carries at 2.8 yards per attempt. The gap is not theoretical: Dameon Pierce carried 12 times against Carolina last week for 35 yards and a touchdown.

Philadelphia's ground game has also lost its anchor at other points in the season. Barkley took a stinger early in Week 2 against Tennessee and pulled his hamstring in the first quarter of Week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams. He has played under 16% of offensive snaps in half of his appearances.

The passing game has not compensated. The Eagles have averaged under 4.0 yards per play in three straight games for the first time since 1999, and they have been out-gained by 108.3 yards per game, the worst mark in the NFL. Dallas arrives to a Philadelphia team that has won four straight at home against the Cowboys, tied for the second-longest such streak in franchise history, and seven of its last eight home primetime games.