Saquon Barkley on track to have the most touches as a running back in 10 years; how the Eagles will handle his touches going forward

PHILADELPHIA – Saquon Barkley gets every penny the Philadelphia Eagles pay him.

Barkley has had 52 touches in two games, including exactly 26 in every game he has played with the Eagles. If Barkley maintains this pace, he will finish his first season in Philadelphia with 442 touches – the most for a running back since DeMarco Murray in 2014.

The Eagles are aware of how often Barkley benefits from the football this early in the season.

“Obviously, we have to be conscious of that in terms of longevity as the season goes on,” Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said Thursday. “We certainly recognize and understand that aspect. We have to do a better job of that at times as the game goes on, especially when you look at it week to week.”

Barkley was productive on the high number of touches, averaging 4.5 yards per touch in Week 1 (24 touches), 4.3 yards per touch in Week 2 (22 touches), while averaging 4.8 yards per touch – his highest since 2019 (Barkley's second year with the Giants).

Does Barkley feel like he gets the ball too often? He doesn't seem to be worried about it.

“I think we're doing a good job here,” Barkley said after his 26-touch performance in Week 1. “Whether I'm doing it on my own or paying attention to my body, our guys in the weight room and training room are doing a really great job of monitoring that.”

“I'm not worried about that. That's why I train the way I do in the offseason and work in camp and during the season to be able to handle the workload.”

Even if Barkley can handle the load, the long-term effects aren't good for a running back who gets that many touches per game. DeMarco Murray had 449 touches in the 2014 season and had the lowest yards-per-carry average of his career (3.6) afterward – in his first and only season with the Eagles. Le'Veon Bell had 406 touches in 2017 and was waiting for a lucrative contract extension in 2018. Bell returned with a new team in 2019 and had the second-lowest yards-per-carry average (3.3) among running backs who amassed 250+ carries over the past three seasons.

The Eagles will need to keep an eye on Barkley's workload if they want him to be as efficient throughout the contract as he was in the first two games.

“I think that's definitely fair,” Moore said of Barkley's workload. “I think Saquon – he wants the rock. He's done a phenomenal job.”