'Impressive!' Eagles' Nick Sirianni Praises Saquon Barkley

As soon as free agency hit this year, Philadelphia Eagles general manager targeted the best offensive player of their division rival New York Giants culminating in the signing of running back Saquon Barkley.

Through three games, that’s turning out to be the signing of the offseason. The Eagles are 2-1, and Barkley has 351 rushing yard, 53 receiving yards and five total touchdowns.

Without question, he has been the MVP of the Eagles through the first three games of the season. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni can’t say enough about his start running back.

“Man, there’s so many different things,” Sirianni said. “I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve just really shook my head like, man, that was an unbelievable cut. And he’s making these cuts at 230 pounds. Oh, on top of that, he’s making these cuts at 4.3 speed. Who is like him, you know what I mean?”

Barkley is a hard runner with power and speed, which can turn into quick strike touchdowns like the 65-yard run against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. He is a workhorse back that can change the game all by himself.

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Coach Sirianni was asked if he felt that the addition of Barkley has transitioned the offense to more of a running game than a passing game.

“You know, it’s still early with the sample size,” Sirianni said. “Obviously, our numbers reflect that a little bit as well. Our rushing numbers are up. Now, we’ve been high in the rushing over the past couple years. And I just think right now, the sample size is just not high enough.”

The Eagles, Barkley, and their entire offense will be on the road this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a rematch of last year’s Wild Card round loss. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET.