NBA Postseason Best Bets (5/17)
Alex Christenson
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Howie Roseman strikes again. The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to terms with Saquon Barkley on a three-year deal worth up to $46.75 million with $26 million fully guaranteed at signing. In an era where free agent running backs don’t get paid, Barkley bucked the trend.
Philadelphia got to work quickly after letting D’Andre Swift walk. In Barkley, the Eagles landed a true three-down back who notched 288 touches in 14 games with the Giants last season. Over his six-year career, Barkley averages 20.1 touches per game.
While Father Time isn’t kind to older running backs, Barkley really didn’t show major signs of decline in 2023. His 16.1 PPR points per game ranked ninth among running backs for the season. In Philly, he’ll step into a thin depth chart where he’s all but assured a bell cow workload. Of course, it should be noted that Jalen Hurts does take a little meat off the bone in the run game. Still, there should be more than enough volume to keep Barkley in the RB1 conversation.
The Eagles suffered an epic collapse down the stretch last season and looked utterly anemic on offense in the process. But the team will have a new look this year, as Philly replaced offensive coordinator Brian Johnson with Kellen Moore. Expect Moore to lean heavily on his new running back.
Barkley’s departure from New York leaves the Giants very thin at running back. Matt Breida is also a free agent, so we have Gary Brightwell, Eric Gray, Jashaun Corbin and Deon Jackson remaining on the depth chart. The Giants could still sign a running back, though the ranks have started to thin out with Swift, Tony Pollard and Josh Jacobs all agreeing to terms elsewhere. If New York doesn’t sign a free agent, they’ll be a strong bet to address the position in next month’s draft.
