Eagles training camp: Saquon Barkley on his 2025 workload, Drew Mukuba's injury status

New York Times

3 days ago

PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley sat behind the table, following the man who's much like a mountain. Lane Johnson lumbered outside the media tent, an ageless pillar poised for his 13th season at right tackle.
Barkley said he's watched how the 35-year-old Johnson takes care of his body. It's a significant study for the star running back, who, at 28, has three more seasons remaining in a contract extension that, in March, made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.
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Anyone who looks up Barkley's workload in 2024 might wince. He led the NFL with 345 rushing attempts. Only Derrick Henry has experienced a heavier workload in the last 10 years. They are established exceptions to modern moderation, bell cows who could belong in any era. Their distinction demands the ball be placed in their hands, yet the superior teams they joined don't always require it. The Eagles entered their first full offseason with Barkley organizing a plan designed to ensure their running back's durability throughout a season that could again end in February.
Barkley said he didn't consult anyone outside his usual circle regarding the management of his body. Not even the eight other members of the 2,000-yard club he joined during an indelible 2024 season in which he was named the league's Offensive Player of the Year. Barkley said he's following 'the game plan' those within the NovaCare Complex and his personal trainers 'mapped out' for him for 2025. His availability is paramount for a Kevin Patullo-led offense that could run Barkley just as frequently this year.
Patullo said he and Barkley have 'kind of talked about' the running back's upcoming workload. Patullo hedged expectations by saying it'd be 'very game specific,' but it's difficult to imagine Barkley ever being a minor feature in a Philadelphia system that has been historically run-oriented in the Nick Sirianni era. There's organizational trust and faith in Barkley, whose effectiveness didn't waver with his increased workload in 2024 and whose subsequent offseason was structured to prepare him for a similar campaign. Sirianni said the Eagles will again manage Barkley's schedule during game weeks. (Position coach Jemal Singleton said, 'We're counting everything.') Patullo also said Barkley has a say on his involvement during the game.
'He does a really good job of knowing himself of when he needs to come out, when he wants to go back in,' Patullo said. 'So, a lot of that will be on him, obviously during games, and he's really good about paying attention to that.'
Ready for what's to come pic.twitter.com/lRKWQ7OGRt
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) July 27, 2025
The diversity of depth in the Eagles' running back room may also afford them opportunities to give Barkley a rest, if need be. Last year, Kenneth Gainwell (5-foot-9, 200 pounds) and fourth-round rookie Will Shipley (5-foot-11, 209 pounds) embodied similar skillsets. The Eagles added AJ Dillon (6-foot-0, 247 pounds) in free agency. In his last three seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Dillon never recorded fewer than 178 carries; Gainwell (now with the Pittsburgh Steelers) never recorded more than 84 carries in four seasons in Philadelphia. The Eagles now have a more diverse trio in which Dillon can spell Barkley in certain power-oriented scenarios, with Shipley assuming Gainwell's role.
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'It's interesting because he is a different kind of player,' Patullo said of Dillon. 'He's a big guy that can run downhill and do different things. And what's actually been really good to see is he's done a good job catching the ball out of the backfield and his versatility. So, it just gives us another guy that we can put out there and a different piece where we can move other pieces around. So, it'll be fun to use him this year.'
Shipley is noticeably more comfortable in his second training camp with the Eagles. The team hasn't yet practiced in full pads, which limits impressions in the run game, but Shipley sticks out as a receiver. In Monday's practice, during one-on-one drills against linebackers, Shipley twice shook free from first-round rookie Jihaad Campbell, once creating considerable separation by switching directions with a sudden plant of his foot.
'He's a really good back, really good back,' Barkley said of Shipley. 'Great hands, great feet coming out of routes. Smart, he always was smart. Hate to say this, he's probably the smartest back in the room. Kind of pisses me off how smart he is, to be honest. But he keeps me young, I guess you could say, because you always gotta find somebody to go out there and compete with. And he's one of those guys, whether it's in OTAs or whether it's in drills or on the field, you want him to go out there and perform at a high level, because it's the one that's gonna push you and make you go out there and perform, too.'
How much success can the Eagles' running back room foster? Could Barkley become the first player to ever rush for 2,000 yards twice? Is that something the legacy-minded running back considers?
'I didn't come in with the mindset last year to rush for 2,000 yards,' Barkley said. 'It kind of just happened. So just stay in the moment, take care of little things, be consistent with my process, be obsessive with my process, and make sure that nothing's non-negotiable. If it's in the cards again, it is. If it's not, it's not.'
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Eagles second-round rookie safety Drew Mukuba did not practice Monday due to a shoulder injury. The injury happened near the end of Saturday's practice, when Mukuba collided with wide receiver Danny Gray when both players dove for a downfield pass during an 11-on-11 drill. Neither player was wearing shoulder pads. Gray injured a finger on his left hand and also did not practice on Monday.
Mukuba's absence is a setback for his position battle with Sydney Brown. The two safeties had been splitting first-team reps. Brown absorbed the majority share of first-team reps in Monday's practice. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was also deploying Mukuba with Cooper DeJean as the slot defenders in the first-team's Dime packages. Fifth-round rookie Mac McWilliams replaced Mukuba in dime packages on Monday. Tristin McCollum and Andre' Sam were most often deployed with the second-team units.
Sirianni did not offer a timeline for Mukuba's return. The Eagles made a considerable investment by picking Mukuba No. 64 overall. The organization had not picked a safety in the first two rounds since 2011. That Mukuba was already getting reps as a dime defender underlined general manager Howie Roseman's appreciation for Mukuba as a 'cover safety.' For an indefinite period, Mukuba must learn Fangio's defense from the sideline.
'Any player that misses practice reps, we have to be very creative in how we catch them up,' Sirianni said. 'When you're in training camp, there's a lot of time. Every minute of everyone's day is accounted for, whether it's rest and recovery for the players, whether it's watching tape in that time where they're resting and recovering and we're watching tape, so we have to be creative with how we do some different things. We will look at walkthroughs as a big opportunity, extra meetings, extra focus there, extra walkthroughs with whoever we need to do that with.'
The Eagles quarterbacks completed their first week of training camp with relative poise. Monday contained their greatest struggles yet. Jalen Hurts was often searching for open receivers for long periods of time, and, during 11-on-11 drills, he lofted a pass down the right sideline to A.J. Brown that was easily intercepted by Quinyon Mitchell. It was the first interception of training camp.
Later, during seven-on-seven drills, rookie Kyle McCord threw a soft lob across the middle that was intercepted by Tariq Castro-Fields. McCord, a sixth-round pick, is in competition with veteran Dorian Thompson-Robinson for third-string quarterback. The Eagles historically roster three quarterbacks.
Injury report: Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter returned to practice Monday after missing the first three practices with a shoulder injury. DeVonta Smith did not practice with back tightness. Rookie linebacker Smael Mondon missed practice with an illness, his first absence of training camp.
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Quinyon Mitchell rotates sides at cornerback: Fangio said Mitchell's deployment at left cornerback during the first week of training camp was partly for training him for the possibility of traveling the field to cover specific receivers during the season. On Monday, Mitchell played both sides for the first time in training camp. During seven-on-seven, Mitchell and Ringo switched sides during the same series.
Increased first-team reps for Jihaad Campbell: The No. 31 overall pick received a noticeably higher allotment of snaps with the first-team defense on Monday. He most often played in place of Zack Baun, an All-Pro last season whose role on the team is secure. Monday's rotation afforded the Eagles plenty of looks at their first-round rookie playing next to Jeremiah Trotter Jr., whom Campbell is competing with for the starting job opposite Baun. Campbell's performance varied. He struggled in one-on-one drills. Will Shipley twice shook Campbell for receptions, and Campbell was flagged by a coach for holding Keilan Robinson. Campbell moved with more confidence in the run game and as a rusher. He recorded a sack in a situational fourth-and-goal drill with the second-team squads.
Flexibility along the offensive line: Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland has historically cross-trained Eagles offensive linemen to play multiple positions. Monday afforded a view of Stoutland's experimentation with the unit's depth. In the second-team rotation, Matt Pryor played right tackle and Darian Kinnard played right guard — a flip of the positions they played last week. Trevor Keegan, a 2024 fifth-round pick, took snaps at center with the third-team offense. He played guard for the Eagles last season.
More plays of the day in the secondary: McWilliams (5-10) swatted away a Tanner McKee pass attempt to Johnny Wilson (6-6) in the back-left corner of the end zone during an 11-on-11 drill. Veteran cornerback Adoree' Jackson later leaped along the left sideline and grazed the football enough to make a catch too complicated for Terrace Marshall.
Jahan Dotson on a full offseason: The fourth-year veteran is more comfortable with the offense during his first full training camp with the Eagles. Dotson said he visited Hurts 'a couple times' during the summer for throwing sessions in Houston, the quarterback's hometown. 'So it's been big for me, just gaining that trust for him,' Dotson said. 'Him knowing exactly where I'm gonna be on certain routes and kinda getting the familiarity with each other. So it's been real good, we've been building a connection during this offseason.' Dotson's familiarity could yield more targets in 2025. He recorded a career-low 33 targets in 2024 as the third option to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
'Yeah, younger me wouldn't have handled that very well,' Dotson said. 'Being a receiver, obviously everyone wants the ball. That's just a part of who we are. But it's bigger than me at the end of the day. I got a family to feed. Whatever's asked upon me, whether that's coming in, running a clear-out route, whether that's catching a bubble screen. And if that's gonna be my only target today, that's gonna be my only target today. But I gotta make the most of it. Being in this offense with a bunch of very high caliber offensive players, you gotta make the most of your opportunities. And that's what I'm gonna do. That's what I'm asked upon to do here. That's what's gonna happen.'
A new 'contested catches' drill: The Eagles debuted a new drill last week in which one defensive player tried to defend a wide receiver running a quick slant and another tried to tackle the wide receiver if the pass was completed. Sirianni said DeVonta Smith suggested the drill when they were talking about contested catches. Smith had experienced the drill at Alabama. Sirianni spoke with coaches who'd run the drill, watched film of the drill and installed it in practice. Sirianni appreciated its usefulness to improve open-field tackling and the angles tacklers take. It's yet another window into Sirianni's obsession over small details. As Sirianni said Monday, 'We want to do ordinary better than anybody else, right, because those are the things that end up winning football games.'
(Top photo of Saquon Barkley: Kyle Ross / Imagn Images)