On his first carry of the Week 4 game against the Rams, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley suffered a hamstring injury. After missing two games, he made it worse on his first carry of the Week 7 game against the Cowboys.
This raises an obvious question. Was Barkley ready to go? On a deeper level, it’s fair to wonder if the mutual desire to see Barkley play was driven by the opportunity to find a trade partner for Barkley before the deadline, which arrives in two weeks.
After the loss to Dallas, coach Nick Sirianni was asked about the decision to play Barkley, 22 days after suffering a hamstring injury.
“Obviously you saw he was about to count today,” Sirianni told reporters. “There was constant communication to see how he was feeling, see where he was at, and obviously he came out early in the second half. Again, when you go into something like that, you make sure the health of the player is first and foremost. Is he ready to go? Do they feel ready to go? Do the doctors and coaches feel ready to go? We felt like that was the case today, but we obviously wanted to monitor him closely, and he’s tough He wanted to be there for his teammates probably had to slow him down to the point where he would be there every play because of the person he is and the teammate he is and the player he is and the toughness he has.
“So we tried to be smart with him there, but it was good to have him back there. He obviously had a good game and was very productive when he touched the football.”
Things changed after this first postponement. He gave up the temptation to reach maximum speed.
“He obviously came out of it and did a good job of protecting himself,” Sirianni said of Barkley’s first carry. “I think it’s a play that, normally with Saquon, you see him get away with it and it’s hard to catch him in those situations. I mean, you change as you go. Obviously, I think he probably played a little less than we initially thought. He definitely played a little less than we initially thought. But like I said, he’s very tough and it’s good to have him back out there, just to have his presence out there and then his ability as a playmaker.”
Ultimately, Barkley left the game with what is being called a back injury. And that complicates any possibility of finding a suitor who will provide real value to the Eagles. With Colts running back Jonathan Taylor potentially available, a team looking for a running back will look for a player as close to healthy as possible.
Gn sports
