Eagles RB Saquon Barkley had a solid opener Sunday against Washington, averaging 5.5 yards per carry across his 15 attempts on a low-volume offensive day for Philly. The Eagles ran just 53 offensive plays to Washington's 67 and possessed the ball for 6:40 less. But Barkley didn't get much in the passing game, got iffy interior blocking, and then lost a starting guard to injury.
What They're Saying: Guard Blames Himself
G Landon Dickerson, on Sports Radio WIP in Philadelphia: "I played like [poop] yesterday. I was a complete liability. That was my fault. A few weeks ago, I got rolled up in practice. ... We got some imaging on it today. Really, the best plan going forward is to put me on IR. I don't think anybody wants to see that again. That was ugly. That was BS. This is not related to last season."
Dickerson is heading to IR, which will keep him out at least the next four games.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: Blocking Just One of Barkley's Issues
When Dickerson mentioned last season, he was referring to returning too early from meniscus surgery and then struggling through back and ankle injuries during the season. He missed just two games, but Philly's blocking decline showed in Barkley falling from 3.8 yards before contact per attempt in 2024 to 2.5 last year.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, just 5 of Barkley's 83 rushing yards against Washington came before contact. And the Commanders hit him at or behind the line on seven of his 15 attempts.
Barkley's mere 1 catch (for minus-3 yards) on 2 targets looks worrisome as well. Philly attempted just 25 total passes, and QB Jalen Hurts completed only 14, but Barkley's route rate tumbled from ninth among RBs last season to outside the top 40 RBs in Week 1.
Perhaps Philly's new OC just needs some time to settle in and figure out how best to get the ball to his lead back. But the receiving usage and blocking need to change quickly for the sake of Barkley's production.
Fortunately for him and his fantasy managers, those factors might not matter as much over the next two weeks.
Philly visits Tennessee's cushy defense next week and then heads to Chicago to face a D that allowed 37 points and 478 yards to the Panthers in Week 1.
It might not be a bad idea to look into trade opportunities with Barkley over the next few weeks. Just don't panic and sell too low.
