Eagles ‘brand-new wrinkle’ on offense could help Saquon Barkley continue
A collection of NFL scouts, coaches and executives were recently surveyed by ESPN, and Saquon Barkley became the No. 1 running back in football going into the 2025 season.That’s hardly breaking news, as Barkley assembled perhaps the greatest regular- and post-season run in NFL history, helping the Philadelphia Eagles win Super Bowl LIX for the franchise’s second championship in 8 years.Barkley’s ability to make game-changing plays for the Eagles’offense isn’t in concern with training camp simply around the corner. The concern is how coach Nick Sirianni and freshly designated offending organizer Kevin Patullo plan to stay an action ahead of the competitors, continuing what sometimes was an unstoppable ground attack throughout the team’s wonderful 2024 season.The response might be a subtle”new wrinkle “on offense, as analyst Josh Davis of The Philly Unique Program recently put it, that debuted with a brief sample size last season. The outcomes? An average of over 6 yards per carry on 22 plays.We’re speaking about Ben VanSumeren, Philly’s previous undrafted linebacker who’s spent the past year transforming to fullback.
“You could simply see from BVS’s snaps that the former running back flashed a natural capability as a lead blocker, helping among the game’s best offensive lines open up much more space for Barkley,”Davis stated.” So when you think about the Baltimore Ravens ended up averaging the most hurrying yards per game last season, and used fullback Patrick Ricard on 495 snaps … it’s as if Philly is sitting on a surprise gem that not a lot of individuals learn about.” VanSumeren will be an important player to enjoy throughout Eagles training school this summer season. In 2024, the 25-year-old played 213 snaps on unique groups and 22 snaps on offense as a fullback before going down with a season-ending knee injury suffered during a late-November practice. He was back healthy for OTAs, and enters camp working mainly with Philly’s offensive skill position players.Now, is VanSumeren poised to approach the 500 offensive snaps that Ricard provided for Derrick Henry and the Ravens last season? Absolutely not. However the former Michigan State item earned himself an extended appearance dealing with Philly’s offense last season. He’s a strong bet to not only make the initial 53-man lineup, however to log 100-plus snaps as Barkley’s lead blocker in 2025. MORE EAGLES NEWS: