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Saquon Barkley has had a tough few years recently, between injuries and struggling to perform on a bad team. That performance has apparently led to some doubts about who Barkley is as a player in the NFL.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler put out his rankings of the top 10 running backs in the leagues according to coaches and executives, and Barkley was an honorable mention this year, a drop from being No. 1 two years ago. According to one offensive coach, Barkley doesn’t quite know how to play his position.
“I’m down on him—he still doesn’t know how to play running back enough,” the coach said, via Fowler. “He’s a bouncer. He wants every run to be a home run. He’s going to have to learn that 4-yard runs in this league are good, instead of stopping, cutting it back and losing 2. And he gets his ass kicked in protection.”
Barkley had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to begin his NFL career, including a Pro Bowl appearance as a rookie and the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018. However, he lost his 2020 season due to a torn ACL and disappointed last year with only 593 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Barkley has also been known as a boom-or-bust running back, someone who waits for the big play to do his damage. However, that style may lead him to miss some layup runs that gain a few extra yards when he isn’t able to create a big gain.
Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Barkley needs a bounce back season to prove he is worth a large contract on the free agent market.
