Roob's Observations: How good can Saquon be at an age when most RBs are fading? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Maybe I’m the only one who finds it interesting that 100 years ago was the first time a Philadelphia team won an NFL championship.
That was the 1926 Frankford Yellow Jackets, who went 14-1-2 under Hall of Fame coach Guy Chamberlain, winning the NFL title by virtue of the best regular-season record before the inception of the NFL Championship Game seven years later.
Those 1926 Yellow Jackets allowed only 51 points all year, shutting out 10 opponents (2nd-most in NFL history) and losing only to the Providence Steam Roller, 7-6, in Week 7 at Frankford Stadium at Frankford and Devereaux. (And, yes, there was no “S” at the end of “Steam Roller,” and IMHO “Providence Steam Roller” is a much better name than “Providence Steam Rollers.”
This year’s Eagles defense should be terrific, but allowing 3.0 points per game may be even out of reach even for Vic Fangio’s bunch.
With just a week to go before opening day, here’s our latest collection of random Eagles observations.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM SAQUON: Saquon Barkley had a terrific training camp and it sure looks like he’s primed for a big bounce-back year in Sean Mannion’s offense after an up-and-down 2025 in a miserable offense behind a banged-up offensive line. But he’s also 29, and that’s an age where running backs historically are going downhill. In the last 20 years, only four running backs have rushed for 1,300 yards after turning 29 – Thomas Jones twice with the Jets, Michael Turner with the Falcons, Adrian Peterson once and Derrick Henry twice. Now, Barkley takes such good care of himself and looked so locked in during camp and seems like such a natural fit in this scheme, I don’t see any reason he can’t rush for 1,500 yards if he plays all 17 games. Only nine backs have ever rushed for 1,500 yards after turning 29, only Henry in the last 20 years. But I don’t care what the history is or what the numbers say. I’ll be surprised if Saquon isn’t in that ballpark by the time we get to January. He’s still that good.
ELITE COMPANY: Nick Sirianni is one of only seven head coaches in NFL history to reach two Super Bowls before turning 44. The others are Hall of Famers Joe Gibbs, Dan Reeves, Chuck Noll and Don Shula, plus Mike Tomlin and Sean McVay. Pretty good company.
HOW GOOD IS JALYX HUNT? If you’re an Eagle Eye podcast listener you’re probably tired of Dave Zangaro and I babbling incessantly about what a dominating training camp Jalyx Hunt had. He was the Eagles’ best player this summer, and his performance in the joint practices in Foxborough only cemented that. At times during training camp he was just unstoppable, and that’s working against a couple pretty decent offensive tackles. Believe it or not, no Eagles draft pick has had 12 sacks in a season for the Eagles since Trent Cole had 12 ½ in 2009. That was 17 years ago. And he’s the only Eagles draft pick to reach 12 sacks in a season as an Eagle since Clyde Simmons in 1992. Josh Sweat had 12 last year for the Cards, but the only Eagles draft picks with 12 sacks in a season as Eagles are Dennis Harrison in 1984, Simmons in 1989 and 1992 and Cole. That’s it. Reggie White had seven seasons with 12 or more sacks as an Eagle (and three as a Packer), but he was a supplemental pick who had already played for the USFL Memphis Showboats, so he’s not considered homegrown or a draft pick. In any case, I fully expect Hunt to join that exclusive group of Eagles draft picks with 12 sacks in a season. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s closer to 15. He’s so fast, strong and physical, I don’t know how you stop him. And this is a guy who’s still relatively new to the position. He went from playing 15 snaps per game as a rookie with 1 ½ sacks to 41 snaps per game and 6 ½ sacks last year. With such a loaded defensive line – Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, Nolan Smith and Jonathan Greenard in addition to Hunt – teams are not going to be able to block everyone, and I expect Hunt to be a big beneficiary of playing on such a deep d-line.
RICKY’S THE ONLY ONE: It’s wild to me that with all the great running backs the Eagles have had – Steve Van Buren, Wilbert Montgomery, Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy – the only one who’s had three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons is Ricky Watters. Ricky ran for 1,000 yards in each of his three seasons with the Eagles, from 1995 through 1997. Wilbert had three 1,000-yard seasons from 1978 through 1981 but missed four games in 1980 and came up short. Shady had four 1,000-yard seasons in five years but missed four games in 2012 and also came up short. Westbrook had two in a row in 2006 and 2007 but finished 64 yards shy of a third in 2008. Duce had two in a row in 1998 and 1999 but then had the foot injury in 2000 and only played in five games. So Saquon Barkley has a chance this year to become only the second Eagle with three straight 1,000-yard seasons. Ricky averaged 3.8, 4.0 and 3.9 in his three 1,000-yard seasons, so Saquon is likely to become the first Eagle ever with three straight 1,000-yard seasons and a rushing average over 4.0 yards per carry. For a franchise that’s been around since 1933, that’s remarkable.
TANNER OR ANDY? I really don’t know what the thinking is on backup quarterback. Neither Tanner McKee nor Andy Dalton had a particularly good summer. Each was effective in one preseason game, Tanner in New England, Dalton vs. the Bengals. Each had some good days at practice and some bad days. Neither one really put together a string of a bunch of good days in a row. Tanner may have nudged ahead of Dalton over the last couple weeks, but the competition is close, and it wouldn’t be shocking if Nick Sirianni and Sean Mannion decide to go with Dalton as No. 2 because of his experience. We may have over-rated McKee based on his performances vs. the Cowboys and Giants at the end of the 2024 season, but I’d still feel more comfortable with McKee as No. 2 than the 38-year-old Dalton. The fact that Howie Roseman hasn’t been able to trade either of them tells you what the rest of the league thinks of McKee and Dalton. There’s really no reason to carry both of them on the 53. I would have preferred to keep Chance Campbell, Carson Strong or Cam Latu. Someone who might help immediately on special teams and add valuable depth. As for Cole Payton, I don’t even look at him as a fourth quarterback. There is no way he’s going to play QB this year. I think he made the roster as an “athlete” as well as a developmental kid. If we see him, it’ll be running around on special teams or maybe with a trick play or two. Talented kid who has some ability, he’s just not close to being ready to play quarterback.
DUUUUUCCEEEEEEE: It’s fun to look back at the greatest opening-day performance in Eagles history, Duce Staley’s career game vs. the Cowboys in the 2000 opener at Texas Stadium, the Pickle Juice Game. In record-setting heat 26 years ago, Duce ran for 201 yards and caught four passes for 61 yards for 262 scrimmage yards, the 2nd-most in NFL history on opening day behind Thurman Thomas’s 268 yards for the Bills in the 1991 opener against the Dolphins in Orchard Park. That remains the 2nd-most scrimmage yards in Eagles history, behind only Saquon Barkley’s ridiculous 302 yards – 255 rushing, 47 receiving – in the 2024 regular-season win over the Rams in Inglewood, Calif.
JALEN HURTS STAT OF THE WEEK: Jalen Hurts has completed 47 passes of at at least 40 yards since he became the Eagles’ full-time starting quarterback in 2021. Only three QBs have thrown more 40-yard passes during the same span – Josh Allen (54), Patrick Mahomes (52) and Matt Stafford (51). Donovan McNabb had 54 in his first five full seasons as a starter (2000-2004), Randall Cunningham had 50 (1987-1990, 1992) and Carson Wentz had 34, although he didn’t finish his fifth year as a starter. Also interesting to me: From 2001 through 2004, only three WRs had more 40-yard catches than Todd Pinkston’s 19. Randy Moss and T.O. had 25 each and Amani Toomer had 20.
IT’S BEEN 18 YEARS: With Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen and Lane Johnson all set to start on opening day for a second straight year, this is the first time in 18 years the Eagles will start the same o-line two years in a row. In both 2007 and 2008 the starters were Tra Thomas, Todd Herremans, Jamaal Jackson, Shawn Andrews and Jon Runyan.
ANSWERING THE BELL: One thing I don’t think Jalen Hurts gets enough credit for is his durability and toughness. He’s started 78 regular-season games since opening day 2021, and only Josh Allen (84), Jared Goff (82), Justin Herbert (80) and Patrick Mahomes (80) have started more. So he’s missed only seven games since becoming the Eagles’ full-time starter, but two of those were healthy scratches in meaningless games on the final day of the 2021 and 2025 seasons. Hurts missed the Jets game in 2021 with a sprained ankle, he missed the Cowboys and Saints in 2022 with a shoulder injury and he missed the Cowboys and Giants in 2024 with a concussion. Hurts’ 78 starts from 2021 through 2025 ties the most in any five-year span by an Eagles quarterback. Ron Jaworski started 78 in a five-year span from 1977 through 1981, although he only missed two games during those 16-game seasons. Either way, you don’t average 15 ½ starts per season over five years if you’re not physically tough.
NOBODY’S BETTER ON OPENING DAY: The Eagles’ five-game opening-day winning streak is the 2nd-longest in franchise history behind a six-game winning streak from 1942 through 1947. The Eagles’ last opening-day loss was 27-17 in Washington in 2020, the late Dwayne Haskins out-playing Carson Wentz in his fifth and final opening-day start as an Eagle. The Eagles are 13-2 in openers since 2011, and the 49ers are 2nd-best during that span at 11-4. The Eagles have won six consecutive openers at home since a 27-20 loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers at the Linc in 2010 after backup Michael Vick replaced injured Kevin Kolb. The Eagles are the only team that hasn’t lost at home on opening day since 2011. The Eagles and Bucs are the only teams that are undefeated on opening day since 2021. The Bucs have actually won six straight openers dating back to a 34-23 loss in New Orleans in 2020. Now you know.
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