All Barkley could do was chuckle in agreement as he stumbled over his words. The Giants receive more and more backlash with every monster performance Barkley puts up in midnight green, but the decision to let him walk was a win for all parties involved.
There’s no debating this on Philadelphia’s side, right? The Eagles were already an elite running team with Jalen Hurts and their dominant offensive line, but Barkley has taken this offense to the next level. The Penn State product leads the NFL in rushing yards (1,137), and he has a realistic chance to become the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.
Behind Barkley, the Eagles rank No. 1 in the NFL in rush EPA/play (0.050). Philly’s offensive line is the best at opening up holes and getting running backs to the second level, making it a perfect match with Barkley’s elusiveness and breakaway speed in the open field. His three-year, $37.8 million deal is already worth every penny.
That wouldn’t have been the case for the Giants, though, if general manager Joe Schoen decided to open his checkbook for Barkley. It’s easy to say Big Blue made a huge mistake while watching Barkley gash defenses every week, but he wouldn’t be putting up the same numbers behind New York’s offensive line.
Running back is a luxury position in the NFL. Elite runners like Barkley and Baltimore’s Derrick Henry are worth the money to their respective teams because they add an explosive element to offenses already hard to defend. That wasn’t the case in New York. Barkley was the offense.
The Giants aren’t competing for an NFC East title anytime soon, and that would be true whether Barkley was on the team or not. They’re not able to spend money on luxury positions when the quarterback (Daniel Jones) is a disaster, the offensive line still needs bolstering and the secondary is outmatched in every game.
Rebuilding teams like the Giants need to punt on running back and allocate their resources to more impactful positions. With how running backs are valued in today’s NFL, it’s easier than ever to find breakout RBs late in the draft. We’re already seeing that with fifth-round rookie Tyrone Tracy of the Giants, who is averaging 5.1 yards per carry and has rushed for at least 100 yards three times in his past six games. Oh, and New York must pay him only $4.31 million over four seasons. Those savings will be crucial for New York’s roster-building efforts in the coming years.
The Eagles may have won the Barkley sweepstakes, but the Giants were right to let him go.
