Parris Campbell believed new Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley will become the best running back in the NFL.
The Eagles wideout spilled the beans to the Philadelphia Inquirer, claiming that Barkley is gunning for Christian McCaffrey's crown as the NFL's top running back. McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers is the league's reigning Offensive Player of the Year.
Campbell, who recently started training with Barkley, was full of praise for his new teammate's prowess on the field, suggesting that Barkley is set to shake up the league and challenge McCaffrey. Barkley recently joined the Eagles from the New York Giants.
"I think he's going to show people why he's the best running back in the league," Campbell explained. "I know there's a bunch of debate between him and Christian McCaffrey. And don't get me wrong, Christian McCaffrey's by far one of the best running backs in the league.
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"But being able to see Saquon up close and personal, being in the same locker room, on the same team, man, he's a different guy when he's on that field, honestly. And running behind that offensive line that we have, I think it's going to be pretty scary for defences.
"You pair that with Jalen (Hurts, the Eagles quarterback) and the things he can do with his feet, just as far as extending plays, getting outside the pocket, I'm sure there will be some type of read-option game that we go on and RPO stuff that'll happen. So just the possibilities of it are endless."
Barkley has certainly made a name for himself as one of the NFL's top running backs. Since his debut, the 27-year-old has been crowned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, selected for the Pro Bowl twice and has surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in three seasons.
However, Barkley has a mountain to climb if he wants to outshine McCaffrey. Despite being evenly matched in their two head-to-heads, McCaffrey, the star of the 49ers, outperforms Barkley in almost every category, according to Stathead.
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Christian McCaffrey has long held the title of best running back in the NFL (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)San Francisco's head coach Kyle Shanahan appears to have tapped into a new level of performance from McCaffrey, who had a standout year in the 2023 NFL season. Playing in all 16 games, he led the league with 1,459 rushing yards and 2,023 scrimmage yards.
McCaffrey is also a three-time First Team All-Pro selection, a one-time Second-team All-Pro selection and a three-time Pro Bowl pick. He also played a key role in taking the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII - where they lost 25-22 to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime. It's worth noting that McCaffrey has played 17 more games than Barkley due to injuries.
Interestingly, the NFL ranks Barkley as the 16th-best running back of the 2023 season, while McCaffrey sits at No. 1. However, with Barkley now in a fresh environment, there's no telling what he could achieve alongside Hurts in Philadelphia.
"When it came to my attention the Eagles were interested in me, I definitely got excited about it," Barkley said regarding his decision to join the Eagles. "Watching from afar, everything they are about, the culture here, the fans here, I’m just happy to be a part of this organisation. I’m ready to go."
Training camp is set to kick off in July and August, with the season commencing in September. Despite the season being a while away, Barkley has his sights set on McCaffrey's title, adding fuel to the fiery rivalry between the 49ers and Eagles.
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* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.
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