Saquon Barkley's Resurgence Could Spell Trouble for the NFC East

Saquon Barkley's production declined in 2025, but Lane Johnson believes the 29-year-old running back still has plenty left in the tank.

What happened?

After delivering what was arguably the best individual season by a running back in NFL history in 2024, Saquon Barkley saw his production decline in 2025, just like the Philadelphia Eagles, who were unable to replicate the dominance they displayed the previous year. However, “coming back down to earth” for Barkley still meant finishing with 1,140 rushing yards, the fourth-best mark of his career.

Why it matters for Saquon Barkley

The biggest question is whether the 29-year-old running back has reached the point that many veteran players at the position eventually face: a physical decline that prevents them from replicating historic seasons. But according to Lane Johnson, there is still plenty left to expect from Barkley.

What comes next?

During Wednesday’s Eagles practice, the veteran offensive lineman made it clear that fans should not count out the No. 26 and predicted a version of Barkley much closer to the one that dominated in 2024. “The more productive we are in the run game and stuff feeds off that, we'll see the Saquon from two years ago. We'll see the big plays, we'll see him flex wide at wide receiver, we'll see him in the screen game,” Johnson said via The Athletic’s Zach Berman**.

Key Takeaways

• Saquon Barkley finished with 1,140 rushing yards in 2025, the fourth-best mark of his career.
• Lane Johnson believes Barkley still has plenty left in the tank.
• The Eagles' run game could be the key to Barkley's resurgence.

Stats Table

Barkley's production declined in 2025, but his workload is not comparable to many running backs his age. The three-time Pro Bowler has played only 113 career games after missing most of the 2020 season due to injury and appearing in just seven playoff games during his time with the New York Giants because of the team’s struggles to reach the postseason.

Even though Barkley’s career is entering an advanced stage for a running back, Johnson believes he still has plenty left in the tank. And if he is right, Eagles fans could once again see the explosive version of the player who dominated the NFL in 2024.

Bold on the key names and numbers; ONE bulleted key-takeaways list; a compact GFM stats table WHEN the source has 3+ hard comparable numbers (real source numbers only, else omit it); ALWAYS a concrete dated fact (date + result/ranking/time/score) from the source.

Category: player_focus