Latest news with #OffensivePlayerOfTheYear
New York Times
10 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Eagles training camp: Saquon Barkley on his 2025 workload, Drew Mukuba's injury status
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. Advertisement 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 — 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. Advertisement '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.' Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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)
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chase, Henry to challenge Saquon in OPOY race
Jay Croucher explains why Saquon Barkley repeating as NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2025 is unlikely, with Ja'Marr Chase entering the season as the "most likely to win" and Derrick Henry looming in the race.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
LeBron James Proposes New NBA Award For Offensive Player Of The Year
LeBron James Proposes New NBA Award For Offensive Player Of The Year originally appeared on Fadeaway World. The NBA's criteria for the MVP award have always been extremely subjective, especially since several individuals from the media cast their votes to reach a democratic solution on the matter. To address this subjectivity, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James proposed that the league follow suit with the NFL and introduce a new award. On an episode of the "Mind The Game" podcast with Steve Nash, James floated the idea of the "Offensive Player of the Year" award, similar to the NFL. He rationalized this idea by saying: "I did think about how the NFL does Offensive Player of the Year and MVP. I thought that could possibly be something in our league, where you give an Offensive Player of the Year and an MVP." The NFL uses distinct criteria to determine each award's recipient. But there was something in this that drew Nash's attention. He chimed in, saying: "You could be on a poor team, have an unbelievable offensive year, and still win Offensive Player of the Year. And vice versa, you could maybe not have the best player in the league, but you were the most valuable in taking your team to a new height." The issue with the MVP award lies in the definition of "value", a term that doesn't necessarily equate to "best" player at any point in time. In this regard, the narrative presented by James has some basis in reality. "It's like, OK, so is it the best player? Is it the player who had the best season with their team? Maybe that's Offensive Player of the Year," James continued. "Or is it just simply the best player in the league? Statistically, this was the best player in the league. Obviously, you're not going to have someone in there whose team didn't come close to making the playoffs … it's not the most valuable, then." James' proposition certainly presents an interesting perspective. When considering some of the most gifted offensive players in the league, they may not impact winning the same as some other players might. Similarly, some players may be immensely successful with their teams, but their statistical contributions may not necessarily reflect that. This year's MVP race would be a great case for the distribution of these awards. Although it remains up for debate, some would argue that Nikola Jokic was a superior individual performer to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who eventually won the award, while also securing the top seed in the West. Gilgeous-Alexander's individual accomplishments also impacted his team's success, eventually helping the Oklahoma City Thunder secure the NBA title. In many ways, the Thunder guard's performance also challenges James' proposition, illustrating that the "best" player can also be the "most valuable" player in some cases. But considering that the idea itself presents an opportunity for several players to get recognized for their efforts and capabilities, it may be worth taking into story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
Fox News
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Which 10 Players Have The Best Odds to Win 2025 Offensive Player of the Year?
Last season, Saquon Barkley dazzled the NFL world in his debut season with the Eagles, helping Philadelphia win Super Bowl LIX and earning 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors along the way. However, 2025 is a new year, and anything is possible. That said, who's the favorite to win 2025 OPOY? Here are the 10 players with the best odds to do just that, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. McCaffrey's 2024 campaign was a disaster, with the superstar running back playing just four games due to calf, Achilles and knee issues. At the same time, the two-time All-Pro is just one season removed from rushing for an NFL-high 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns on 5.4 yards per carry, while tallying 67 receptions for 564 yards and seven touchdowns, all of which helped him become a finalist for the 2023 NFL MVP Award and win 2023 Offensive Player of the Year honors. The slippery back has electric speed, is elusive and also an essential element of San Francisco's passing game. A healthy McCaffrey has been arguably the best running back in the NFL in recent memory. Lamb continues to make No. 88 shine bright. A four-time Pro Bowler and 2023 All-Pro, Lamb has totaled 1,100-plus receiving yards in each of the past four seasons and 100-plus receptions in each of the past three. Last season, Lamb logged 101 receptions for 1,194 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games in a year that saw quarterback Dak Prescott miss nine games due to a hamstring injury. Lamb has led Dallas in receiving yards in four consecutive seasons and is entering the first season of a four-year, $136 million deal. Nacua missed six regular-season games in 2024 (five due to a knee injury and one due to rest) but was still sharp in the 11 games that he did appear in, totaling 79 receptions for 990 yards and three touchdowns. He then logged 11 receptions for 141 yards in the Rams' two playoff games. Nacua was first among wide receivers with a 92.8 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus. Just one year ago, Nacua was a Pro Bowler, totaling 105 receptions for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns during his rookie season. Jefferson is arguably the best receiver the game has to offer. He's a menace in space, gets behind secondaries like nobody's business and produces consistently. A two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, Jefferson totaled 103 receptions for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Jefferson, the 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, has totaled 1,000-plus receiving yards in each of his five seasons in the sport and ranked eighth among wide receivers with an 87.2 overall grade last season, per PFF. His production could be difficult to forecast for next season, though, as the Vikings are rolling with QB J.J. McCarthy, who they traded up to select at pick No. 10 in the 2024 NFL Draft. Collins has become one of the most reliable receivers in the sport. Last season, Collins totaled 68 receptions for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns, helping him earn his first career Pro Bowl nod. He then logged 12 receptions for 203 yards and one touchdown in Houston's two postseason games. Collins was second among wide receivers with a 91.6 overall grade, per PFF. He did all that despite missing five games due to a hamstring injury. The receiver has posted 1,000-plus receiving yards in each of the past two seasons. After a plausible and efficient 2023 rookie campaign, Robinson shouldered a larger role in Atlanta's backfield in 2024 and answered the bell. Rushing for 1,456 yards and 14 touchdowns on 4.8 yards per carry and reeling in 61 receptions for 431 yards and one score, Robinson, who got the call on the run 90 more times than he did the year before (304 carries in 2024, compared to 214 carries in 2023), earned a Pro Bowl nod. Robinson, who's the focal point of the Falcons' offense, ranked second among running backs with a 92.8 overall grade last season, per PFF. The Ravens brought in Henry to strengthen an already potent running game, and the 252-pound back did just that and then some. In what was his ninth NFL season, Henry rushed for 1,921 yards and an NFL-high 16 touchdowns on a career-high 5.9 yards per carry. Henry, a one-time All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowler and the 2020 Offensive Player of the Year, ranked first among running backs with a 94.0 overall grade, per PFF. The star running back projects to remain the No. 1 source of offense for Baltimore next to quarterback and two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. Gibbs is one of the most balanced running backs in recent memory. He has blazing speed, makes quick cuts and is a tremendous pass-catching back. Last season, Gibbs rushed for 1,412 yards and an NFL-high 16 touchdowns on 5.6 yards per carry, while totaling 52 receptions for 517 yards and four touchdowns. Gibbs, who ranked sixth among running backs with an 88.5 overall grade, per PFF, has been an integral part of Detroit's offense and a Pro Bowler in each of his first two NFL seasons. Like his former LSU teammate Jefferson, Chase has a reputable case for being the NFL's top receiver. Last season, Chase logged 127 receptions for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns, all three totals leading the sport. A one-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler in each of his four NFL seasons, Chase has tallied 1,000-plus yards in each of his four seasons and has consistently been star quarterback Joe Burrow's No. 1 target in the Bengals' passing game. Chase signed a four-year, $161 million extension with the Bengals earlier this offseason. Full-blown hurdling a defender, setting NFL rushing records and becoming part of the Eagles' DNA, Barkley had a special debut season in Philadelphia. Rushing for an NFL-high 2,005 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns on a career-high 5.8 yards per carry, Barkley earned All-Pro honors and was an MVP finalist. Already becoming just the ninth player all-time to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season, Barkley later set the NFL record for combined rushing yards in a single season (regular season plus postseason), finishing with 2,504 yards on the ground. To top it off, Barkley and the Eagles won Super Bowl LIX. Check out all of our Daily Rankers. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Under-the-radar Big Ten OPOY, DPOY picks for 2025
Ahmed Fareed breaks down his under-the-radar picks for Big Ten Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, examining why Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Oregon's Matayo Uiagalelei can make noise during the 2025 season.
