Philadelphia Eagles and former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley's competitiveness can't be denied. However, it's starting to look a little different to him as he gets further in his career.
"You've just got to be smarter, right? You have your moments where you go in there and you grind, you push it," Barkley said, according to ESPN's Tim McManus. "But the majority of those days is just mobility, conditioning, doing all the things to get your body in shape to perform at a high level. It was a lot of workload [last year], but my body feels great, so that's the most important thing."
Barkley's gone from that constant "go" mindset to listening to those around him and taking a moment to step back and breathe. He came off a Super Bowl victory, winning the NFL 2024 Offensive Player of the Year award, and a personal record-shattering season. Now it's time for the former Nittany Lion to let his mind and body heal.
In 2024-25, Barkley was the go-to guy for the Eagles and constantly had the ball in his hand. Now he's entering his eighth year in the NFL and the last thing Philadelphia (and Barkley) wants is for the running back to lose steam and start hurting. Head coach Nick Sirianni, running backs coach Jemal Singleton, and a whole crew of others told Barkley to take it easy.
That doesn't mean he sat down and did nothing in the offseason. He still got reps in during OTAs and minicamp. Sirianni said, according to McManus, that each player has their own monitored regime in the offseason determined by feedback and input from the player, trainers, and strength staff.
For Barkley, he has a new approach even beyond the offseason. As training camp approaches, he's using the time to slowly shape up for the start of the season. Whereas in previous years he'd be ready to go as if it were the start of the regular season, he's giving his mind and body time to adjust accordingly and ensure that when Week 1 does roll around, he's not exhausted and can embark on another high-performing season in Philadelphia.
"I feel really good," Barkley said to McManus. "I feel like I'm entering my prime."
The Eagles training camp starts on July 22 at the NovaCare Complex. Open practices will be held on Sunday, Aug. 10 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. following the first preseason game against the Bengals on Aug. 7.