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The Philadelphia Eagles made an offseason splash by signing former NFC East Division rival Saquon Barkley to a three-year deal. News of the addition sparked a flood of reaction on social media, with each side feeling vastly different on the outcome.
For the Giants, it represents the complete mismanagement of an unproductive roster. Funds used to pay QB Daniel Jones might’ve been better spent on Barkley, a former No. 2 overall pick who’s rushed for over 5,000 yards in the Big Apple.
Giants could have had him for less but they decided to give the money to Daniel Jones who they now don’t want and will have to see Saquon twice a year. Legendary bad management from Giants https://t.co/3UWLCmAoz0
— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) March 11, 2024
Now, they’ll have to see him twice a year.
For Philly, it seems like a massive upgrade at running back and homecoming of sorts for Barkley. Playing his college ball at Penn State, he gets the opportunity to once again rep the state of Pennsylvania.
The move also bolsters an already dominant offensive unit led by Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, and Devonta Smith that ranked 7th in the NFL in scoring last year.
One key component of that production on offense has been the tush push – the league’s most potent play with a success rate of more than 90%.
While the play doesn’t necessarily pick up chunk yards, it’s crucial in the Eagles’ ability to extend drives, with head coach Nick Sirianni saying it’s like starting every fresh set of downs at 1st-and-9.
And it’s become somewhat of an annoyance to opponents.
Powerless to stopping the tush push, many around the NFL are looking to have it banned completely. Those frustrations might only grow with Barkley in the backfield.
Saquon Barkley is a massive human being.
The tailback has tree trunks for legs and can easily squat north of 600 pounds. This is a man that’s been seen literally jump squatting out a pool with ease.
Now, he can use that ridiculous lower body strength to give Jalen Hurts, a man with some pretty thick thighs himself, a boost on short yardage situations.
That point was not missed by NFL fans upon receiving news of the signing.
Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts can squat around 1,200 lbs combined…
The Tush Push is about to go crazy 😂
— Adam Lefkoe (@AdamLefkoe) March 11, 2024
“Tough day for the tush push haters. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley will run you over ever every single time and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“Saquon Barkley in the Tush Push is going to be unfair.”
“This is going to be Tush Push 2.0.”
An already unstoppable play might’ve just gotten even harder to defend. That likely means bad news for future foes in the NFC.