Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or Michael Thomas

Tuesday, October 20, 12:40 PM

The Philadelphia Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman are in an unfamiliar position late in October as we approach the Nov. 10 trade deadline and could be looking to sell to other championship contenders after they lost starting quarterback Jalen Hurts for the season due to blood clots. The Athletic's Zach Berman writes that a tougher debate would be how the Eagles respond to aging star running back Saquon Barkley and his potential trade market. Barkley is in his age-29 season and presumably has fewer prime years ahead of him than behind him. The former first-rounder and three-time Pro Bowler led the NFL with 2,005 rushing yards on a league-high 345 carries in 2024 in his first year in Philly, and although he hit the 1,000-yard rushing mark again in 2025 for the fifth time in his career, Barkley and the Eagles' offense was nowhere near what it was the previous season. He is averaging a healthy 5.1 yards per carry on 36 rushing attempts for 182 yards through four games this year, but he has yet to score a touchdown and has missed the last two contests due to a hamstring injury. A contending NFL team looking to bolster its backfield could come calling for Barkley soon, but it is currently unclear if the Eagles would be willing to listen.