Saquon Barkley, who led the NFL in rushing yards last season, recently reached out to Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee Emmitt Smith for advice. Barkley shared details of his conversation and its significance as he prepares for the Philadelphia Eagles’ season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
“You won’t believe who I got to talk to today,” Barkley told his father earlier this summer. “I was able to talk to probably the most consistent running back of all time in Emmitt, and just try to pick his brain — especially with the (documentary) that just came out. That’s going to continue to be my thing. It worked for me last year, so I’m not going to go away from it.”
Barkley initiated contact with Smith, who remains the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards. Reflecting on his own progress, Barkley has now accumulated 7,216 career yards after a 2,005-yard campaign in 2024. He frequently references historical running backs and regards Smith as “the most successful running back of all time.” Barkley said he learned about anticipation and preparation from their talk: “A lot of times, he was a step ahead (…) He knew how defenses were going to attack him. He knew how to set it up. He was a one-cut back, so he knows what he likes.”
The conversation also touched on durability and longevity in football. Smith played at least 15 games in 12 of his 15 seasons and surpassed 1,000 yards rushing eleven times in his career. Barkley noted: “It would be in my best interest to take his advice,” acknowledging his own challenges with injuries across seven seasons.
Even after winning Offensive Player of the Year honors, Barkley expressed appreciation for speaking with someone like Smith: “My life doesn’t seem real when those moments happen.”
The article further covered team news surrounding the Eagles-Cowboys game and reactions following Micah Parsons’ trade from Dallas to Green Bay Packers. Offensive tackle Jordan Mailata commented on adjustments necessitated by Parsons’ departure: “There’s a lot (different) — I’m going to be honest. A lot. Eleven’s a pretty good f—— player (…) We always have protection plans built in for a great player. Now we just got to figure out the players that they have on defense, can we stop them? It changes a lot.”
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni added: “He’s in your thoughts for game planning, but they still have guys that we have to prepare for (…) They have Kenny Clark, who’s a really good player, and they have good depth at that defensive end group (…). But also understanding that they have a lot of good players over there and getting ready for those guys and shifting your attention to that.”
Lineup updates ahead of Thursday night’s game included observations about key positions such as cornerback—”I think it’s unsettled to the outside world (…). We’ve got it pretty much settled in here,” Sirianni said—and praise for Adoree’ Jackson: “I think he’s always in the hip pocket of guys and close to the catch point (…). He was a punt returner and has a good knack for how to take the ball away (…). So what you want as a receiver is to look at how close he is (…). I think that he has the ability to shadow receivers (…) we’ll need those efforts this week against a really good receiving and tight end core.” Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio remarked positively on Jakorian Bennett: “I like him (…) He’s got good speed. He’s got a good attitude (…) Shown some good cover ability (…).” Fangio also addressed safety Drew Mukuba’s status after injury setbacks: “It does set you back (…). But, he’s done well this week (…). So I do think as it pertains to comparing other rookies, he’s done well overcoming those obstacles.”
On quarterback Sam Howell stepping into action due to Tanner McKee’s injury, offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo said: “He’s been amazing (…) He’s worked extremely hard on preparing in every way he can (…). You can see how intelligent he is…” Additional updates included Landon Dickerson being cleared following knee surgery.
Looking toward Thursday night’s matchup—which will open with Super Bowl festivities before kickoff—Barkley’s role alongside an experienced offensive line will be crucial as Philadelphia aims for another win over Dallas.
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