There is plenty of blame to go around for the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive issues that should be addressed.
Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo seems to be a very popular pick for this since he's the one calling the plays. From the predictability of the calls to not setting the players up with the right plays to call depending on the defense, Patullo has just not been the play caller that Kellen Moore was a season ago.
How about discussing the offensive line? Many injuries have hampered performance, including the absence of Lane Johnson from the lineup and the playing of Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens when they are not 100%.
All of these things are major problems, but while nobody wants to publicly admit it, running back Saquon Barkley arguably deserves some of the blame as well.
Barkley is not the same player as he was in 2024
What a home run of a move it was for Eagles general manager Howie Roseman to sign Barkley in 2024. Barkley finished the season with over 2,000 yards, won Offensive Player of the Year, and helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl.
This season has been a whole other story, a complete nightmare of the season. Barkley has rushed for 684 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 3.7 yards per carry, which would match a career low for him.
The reality is, they gave Barkley a two-year, $41.2 million contract extension in the offseason for him to be an average running back. He's being paid top dollar, and he's not getting it done.
There is a simple solution to this for the Eagles: give Tank Bigsby the ball just as much as Barkley. Bigsby is averaging 9.1 yards per carry and has proven to be more elusive than Barkley has this season. Getting Bigsby more involved in the running game only helps Barkley get more rest and play better.
A good way to use Barkley is in the passing game. The Eagles have been big with running swing passes with him, and he's been able to get good yards out of that. Keep doing that and bring in Bigsby on early downs to put up positive yards.
Read more:Kevin Patullo pinpoints biggest problem with Eagles offense fans already know
Barkley is not the same player he was last season, but they can still use him effectively to make him just as dangerous, even if the stats don't show it.