Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley downplayed his knee injury Tuesday and said that he's good to go Thursday night in Week 6 against his former team, the New York Giants.
"I know a lot of people started reacting because it said I wouldn't practice; none of us practiced yesterday," Barkley said. "Because of, I don't know what reason, if you have anything, everything has to be reported. So I know what the Eagles are doing what they're supposed to do, but nothing to be worried about. Some general soreness, and I'm excited to play."
Barkley was listed as "did not participate" on Monday's injury report with a knee injury. On Tuesday, Philadelphia held a walkthrough, and Barkley was listed as a limited participant in an estimation.
Barkley said he did have some soreness Sunday vs. the Broncos, but that wasn't the reason why he only had six carries for 30 yards. He also had three catches for 58 yards and a receiving touchdown.
"That's in the past," Barkley said. "We're ready to move on. We talked about it, we learned from our mistakes, and we get ready to go play on Thursday."
Barkley also addressed the conversation he had with quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver A.J. Brown that was first reported by the PhillyVoice Monday as the team works to get the offense back on track.
While Philadelphia's passing game made headlines after Brown's cryptic social media post went viral after Week 4, the running game has also struggled.
Through five games, Barkley has 267 rushing yards and is averaging 3.2 yards per carry, which would be the lowest of his career outside of the 2020 season, when he only played two games.
Barkley declined to get into the specifics of the conversation between him, Hurts and Brown and said people "shouldn't make it more than what it is."
"We're teammates, we're all friends, we're just having a conversation, and I personally wish that wasn't out there, to be honest," Barkley said. "But people saw us having a conversation and it got out there. I don't think we need to make too much of that. Our main focus is on the Giants."
"The focus was all about the team, and that's a good thing," he added.
A year removed from leaving the Giants in free agency, Barkley said he's just focused on getting the win, but a matchup against New York might be exactly what Philadelphia's offense needs right now.
The Giants have allowed 5.3 yards per carry and 700 yards on the ground so far this season as one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL. They've also allowed five runs that went 20-plus yards, which is something that Philadelphia's offense has lacked.
Last season against his former team, Barkley went off for 176 rushing yards on 17 carries and one touchdown.
"I know how the team is going to respond," Barkley said. "I believe in my heart because I know what type of men we have in this locker room. Super competitive and definitely with how we finished that game. We got a great chance, and what better way to get that sour taste out of your mouth than getting to play Thursday night right away?"
Tom Ignudo
Tom Ignudo is a digital content producer at CBS Philadelphia. Before he joined CBS Philadelphia in 2021, Tom covered high school and college sports for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He covers breaking news, sports and more.