The market for NFL running backs keeps plummeting.
This year’s stacked free-agent class may have been the exception to the rule, perhaps because of the big demand for their services.
Nonetheless, teams are often hesitant to make big financial commitments to veteran running backs, as they fall from grace faster and uglier than other players.
That’s especially the case with injury-prone players, and that’s why the New York Giants didn’t bat an eye when they allowed Saquon Barkley to walk out the door.
That was also why some people were shocked to see the Philadelphia Eagles spending big bucks to sign the Penn State product, especially considering his history of injuries.
Nonetheless, Eagles GM Howie Roseman knows that it takes a lot to get talent, and that’s why he didn’t hesitate to take a chance on one of the most impactful players in the game when healthy (via ProFootballTalk):
“It’s hard to find difference-making players and people, and it’s hard to find them for a cost,” Roseman said. “Those guys, they go for a lot of money, and we felt like there was an opportunity to get one of those guys in Saquon and bring him to the team. There’s risk in every decision you make, but we don’t think there’s any risk on the talent. We don’t think there’s any risk on the person.”
Howie Roseman on Saquon Barkley: Risk in every decision, but no risk on talent. https://t.co/ZJogrOsHnN
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) May 6, 2024
Barkley joining a divisional rival was one of the biggest storylines of the offseason.
The Eagles have rarely spent a lot of money on running backs, but a player of Barkley’s caliber doesn’t become available very often.
Granted, there will always be durability concerns with him.
But he’s going to have the best supporting cast of his career, not to mention one of the best — if not the best — offensive lines in the entire league.
If this move works out, it might be the X-factor they needed to get over the hump and win another title.
And if you were going to take a risk on any player, it might as well be Barkley.
The post Howie Roseman Gets Honest About Decision To Sign Saquon Barkley appeared first on The Cold Wire.