Saquon Barkley Says Fixing His Drops Is Priority No. 1 for Eagles’ 2026 Offense
Saquon Barkley isn’t hiding from last season’s rough patches. The Philadelphia Eagles running back sat down with Kay Adams this week and put the blame for his 2025 drops squarely on himself — and made clear it’s the first thing he’s fixing before Week 1.
“It’s on me to go out there and continue to catch the ball at a high level,” Barkley told Adams during an interview posted to the Up & Adams show’s X account on Aug. 6. “I had a couple drops last year that I wasn’t having myself. I had a couple moments where I felt like I was lazy and I wasn’t disciplined with my eyes and my hands, so I’m really focused on that this offseason.”
Can Eagles RB Saquon Barkley break Christian McCaffrey’s RB catch record in Sean Mannion’s new offense? 🤔@Eagles | @saquon | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/5s2N9npzko
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) August 6, 2026
Barkley wants Hurts and Mannion to trust him in the passing game
Barkley isn’t just talking about cleaning up mechanics. He wants to rebuild trust with quarterback Jalen Hurts and new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, who took over Philadelphia’s offense this offseason after Kevin Patullo’s departure.
“I got to continue if I want to be able to catch the ball a lot this year,” Barkley said. “I got to show it to Sean and show it to Jalen that they can trust me when the ball’s in the air.” He credited Mannion’s approach with the group as a whole, adding that the new coordinator “does a really good job of not only for me but for everybody.”
Barkley stopped short of revealing scheme details, joking that NFL teams comb through offseason interviews for intel. “I know NFL teams watch these interviews and try to pick up any little thing that they can,” he said. “But I’m really excited for this offense and Sean and everybody, all of our coaching staff are doing a great job.”
The Up & Adams post that carried the interview framed the moment with a pointed question: whether Barkley could challenge Christian McCaffrey’s record for receptions by a running back in a single season. That’s speculation from the segment itself, not a target Barkley set for himself in the clip — McCaffrey’s mark sits at 116 catches, set with San Francisco in 2019.
From 2,000-yard season to a step back in 2025
The drops comment lands against the backdrop of a genuine statistical dip. Barkley’s 2024 season was historic: he ran for 2,005 yards, the ninth-ever 2,000-yard campaign, and powered Philadelphia to a Super Bowl LIX win over the Kansas City Chiefs. He won NFL Offensive Player of the Year for the effort.
2025 looked different from the start. Barkley was on pace for well under 1,000 rushing yards through five weeks, a sharp drop-off from his 2024 form. He finished the year with 1,140 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on 280 carries, according to Pro Football Focus, adding 60 receptions for 591 yards through the air per SumerSports data.
| Season | Rush Yards | Receptions | Rec. Yards | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2,005 | 33 | 278 | 15 |
| 2025 | 1,140 | 60 | 591 | 7 |
The numbers explain why Barkley is putting extra emphasis on the passing game this offseason. A back who catches the ball reliably gives Mannion’s offense another layer, especially with Philadelphia’s receiving room in flux.
A retooled offense without A.J. Brown
This will be the Eagles’ first season since 2021 without A.J. Brown, who Philadelphia traded to the New England Patriots in June for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder. The move ended a four-year run in which Brown helped anchor one of the league’s most productive receiving duos alongside DeVonta Smith, and it leaves DeVonta Smith as the clear top target heading into 2026.
Philadelphia spent the rest of the offseason rebuilding the room around him, adding Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore in free agency, trading for Dontayvion Wicks, and moving up in the first round of the 2026 draft to select USC receiver Makai Lemon. With that much turnover at receiver, Barkley’s reliability as a check-down and safety-valve option carries more weight than it did a year ago.
What’s next for Barkley and the Eagles
Philadelphia went 11-6 in 2025 and is chasing a sixth straight playoff appearance. The Eagles open the 2026 regular season at home against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 4:25 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field — the first Eagles-Commanders season opener since 2020, according to the team’s official schedule release.
Barkley and the Eagles will get preseason tune-ups first, including joint practices and a game against Brown’s new team, the Patriots, on Aug. 22, before the games start counting.
