(*50*)
After being bounced early in the playoffs final yr, the Philadelphia Eagles enter the 2026 season able to show themselves once more.
The Eagles weren’t capable of repeat as Super Bowl champions, with the group seeing all types of points happen a yr in the past. But this yr, there appears to be plenty of optimism across the workforce, particularly on the offensive aspect of the ball.
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Quarterback Jalen Hurts returns, alongside star working again Saquon Barkley, who will probably be on the lookout for a bounce-back yr. In his first yr with the Eagles, Barkley fully took off, speeding for two,005 yards and 13 touchdowns.
But final season, Barkley regressed just a little bit, gaining 1,140 yards and 7 touchdowns. While a decline was anticipated, it was pretty drastic for Barkley.
This has led him to drop fairly closely in the brand new preseason Top-100 Player Rankings from ESPN. Entering 2025, Barkley was ranked because the No. 17 participant, and now, this season, he’s ranked because the No. 63 participant in the league.
However, there are causes to suppose that Barkley might take off once more in 2026 for the Eagles. ESPN analyst Tim McManus explains.
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“But his offensive line is healthier this summer, and he’s showing some bounce in practice. The signs are there that Barkley could be among the league’s top rushers again this season,” McManus wrote.
While an virtually 50-spot drop is brutal, Barkley does not care about the place he’s ranked getting into the season. All the working again desires to do is assist this workforce win as many video games as attainable, with the aim being the Super Bowl once more.
The Eagles will once more characteristic Barkley as a key contributor to this offensive assault, giving him an opportunity to duplicate his 2024 success. Sean Mannion comes in as the brand new offensive coordinator for the Eagles, and his first transfer needs to be to construct every part round Barkley.
Barkley wasn’t the one participant on Philadelphia to drop, with Hurts dropping 59 spots in the rating. Both gamers may have so much to show this coming season, and it might see the Eagles play a lot better on the sector.
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All in all, this drop in the rankings is hard to see, however Barkley can simply flip issues round this yr. The whole Eagles workforce is predicted to be higher this yr, with Barkley being one of many important gamers to get again to kind.