Kyle Crabbs discusses why Philadelphia Eagles RB Saquon Barkley will be even better in the upcoming 2025 season and become the team leader in rushing touchdowns, a title which QB Jalen Hurts has reigned ever since his rookie season
00:00Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was electric in year one in Philadelphia, but what if I told you his pathway to an even better season should be considered a layup?
00:13I'm Kyle Krabs with A to Z Sports, and it's a scary thought.
00:16The idea that Saquon Barkley, fresh off of a 2,000-yard season, almost six yards per carry, 378 touches, a Super Bowl ring,
00:23could find an even better 2025 season than the year that he just had in Philadelphia.
00:30But when you look at the Eagles, and let's be honest, just about everything went right for the Birds in 2024,
00:37despite those offensive and defensive coordinator changes and reclamation projects like Mekhi Beckman and the bet in free agency on Saquon Barkley.
00:45This team had balance offensively. They had a ton of players to share the football to.
00:51And outside of Saquon Barkley, they all had a pretty even touch share.
00:55Barkley dominated the touches, but he didn't lead the team in rushing touchdowns.
01:00That honor for the fourth consecutive season went to quarterback Jalen Hurts, and that's fueled in large part by the dreaded tush push.
01:08And we're not going to get into the merits of the play and whether it's a football play or whether it needs to be banned.
01:13And the owners said their piece on that earlier this summer.
01:17What we do know is that Saquon Barkley, according to NFL.com, was tackled on the opposing team's one-yard line,
01:24a league-leading 11 times last season.
01:28And despite that, finished just one rushing touchdown behind Hurts for the team lead in rushing touchdowns.
01:35And that's where I think Saquon Barkley, with some regression to the mean, could it be even more productive in 2025 than he was in 2024?
01:46It's a horrifying thought, but Philadelphia chose to bring everybody back.
01:50A.J. Brown is back. Devonta Smith is back.
01:53The team flirted with moving on from Dallas Goddard, but he had a contract adjustment in order to get his salary a little bit more in line with what was digestible with the team.
02:01And the nucleus of the team's offensive line is back as well.
02:05Now, Kellen Moore is no longer in tow.
02:07He got hired as the head coach in New Orleans this offseason, so there may be some changes in that regard.
02:13But I think that only puts Barkley and this offensive line even more firmly into the spotlight.
02:19Yes, if it's a fourth and one or third and one, you should expect the Eagles to put Hurts under center with players behind it and push the pile for first downs and touchdowns.
02:28And Hurts, with four consecutive double-digit rushing touchdown seasons, is going to get his on the ground no matter what.
02:35But betting on Barkley getting an even bigger workload after getting an even bigger contract this offseason seems like a safe bet to place.
02:44And if that's the case and you expect the law of averages to kick in at some way, shape, or form, look for Saquon Barkley to seize the rushing touchdown title from Jalen Hurts in 2025.
02:56It would be the first time since Hurts' rookie season that anybody not named Jalen Hurts led this Eagles team in rushing touchdowns, which kind of makes it a hot take to place.
03:08What do you think?
03:09Love to hear from you guys in the comments who leads the Eagles in rushing touchdowns.
03:13Will it be Hurts for a fifth consecutive season or will Barkley take the title this year?
