There were moments this summer when running back Saquon Barkley stirred the echoes, flashing a quick burst or a sudden jump cut or a moment of competitive overdrive. Day 8 of training camp might have been the highlight. It started when he barreled into the end zone on a deep red zone run and finished the play with a well-spirited shove of cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, helping awake a sagging offense. Moments later, with the unit backed up, Barkley hit Jordan Davis with a hop step move that left the defensive tackle chasing wind as Barkley sped through the crease and raced to daylight.

The days the attack looked best this offseason were the ones when Barkley was featured. This should come as no surprise to anyone who watched their Super Bowl run in 2024, when Barkley set the NFL record for most single-season rushing yards, including playoffs, or saw how the operation fell off last year as the ground game labored to find its footing behind an ailing offensive line. But it was a reminder that for all the discussion about quarterback Jalen Hurts and his fit in the new system, so much of the Eagles' fate is actually tied to whether Barkley, in Year 9 and five months away from his 30th birthday, can recapture his NFL Offensive Player of the Year form while acclimating to a new scheme.

"The more productive we are in the run game and stuff feeds off that, we'll see the Saquon of two years ago," Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson said. "We'll see the big plays, we'll see him flexed out wide at receiver, see him in the screen game."

Barkley acknowledged he's "going back to like I'm a little kid again" in some respects, working on his steps and techniques to match the new Kyle Shanahan/Sean Mc Vay-like system implemented by offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. This heavy under-center, wide zone scheme is largely new to him.