The Philadelphia Eagles are "doomed'' ... because Saquon Barkley is about to be a "bust.''
Tell us more ...
The Eagles running back is on the short list in the conversation of "The NFL's Best Player'' — and that was true even as he struggled through injuries and defeats in his previous life with the New York Giants.
He just turned 28, and this party does not go on forever, of course ... though the Super Bowl champions have obviously placed their bet that it will go on for two more seasons, as they just gave the 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year a two-year contract extension worth a whopping $41.2 million.
So, when does the "doom'' set in? How soon is Saquon a "bust'?"
Now, in the eyes of Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport, who is issuing these incendiary predictions right after Barkley just got done rushing for over 2,000 yards and just got done winning the Super Bowl.
The logic here, such as it is?
"He's doomed in 2025 for numerous reasons,'' Davenport writes. "The first is last year’s workload. Barkley had 378 touches a season ago, putting him squarely in the crosshairs of the ‘Curse of 370.’"
What's that?
"Since 2007,'' Davenport continues, "there have been 25 instances where a running back surpassed 370 touches in a season. Of that group, only two gained more total yardage the following year.”
Yeah, but ... they're not asking Barkley to "gain more total yardage'' in 2025. Does he need to do so to avoid being a "bust?"
Of course not.
Would the Cowboys and the Washington Commanders and the New York Giants of the NFC East like to see that?
Of course. But ...
We might be overanalyzing here.
It is noted by B/R that out of the group of eight running backs in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in a single season previous to Barkley, the average fall off in production was roughly by half — an average drop of 966 rushing yards.
That's some fancy figurin' ... but we bet injuries might have played a role in that "average fall off.'' And even if Barkley — for whatever reason —falls considerably short of rushing for 2,000 yards in 2025 ...
Does that automatically mean he's a "bust?"
Of course not.
Barkley could in fact take a substantial statistical dip from his 2024 rushing total and still be a contender to repeat as NFL Offensive Player of the Year — something that hasn't happened in 25 years. How? Barkley — who happens to be the favorite to repeat as the award’s winner at +650 odds on ESPN Bet — could do it with TDs, with receiving yards and with wins.
And — unfortunately for the Cowboys and the rest of the NFL — those possibilities loom larger than Saquon Barkley being a "bust'' amid the "doom."
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