It hasn’t taken very long for [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] to get settled into his new surroundings. After moving from the New York Giants to the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent this year, Barkley has already started earning the respect of his teammates. He is also embracing a healthy competition with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in the weight room.
With both players known for the amount of weight they can squat, Barkley has suggested there is no contest when it comes to a one-on-one squat off.
“I don’t think it was competition,” Barkley said this week during the Eagles organized team activities, according to CBS Sports. “That’s the thing you love about being here. You come in you buy into the culture. I haven’t squatted like that for a long time. It’s amazing when you have your quarterback doing that.”
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The addition of Barkley to an Eagles offense with Jalen Hurts at quarterback and AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith at wide receiver gives the Eagles what they hope will be the right offensive recipe for a rebound season worthy of a Super Bowl run. Barkley was a team captain with the Giants and has already drawn praise form his new teammates.
“What I saw [during offseason training], him pushing teammates in the weight room, that gets me excited because honestly … if I can get a guy like that who’s going to come to work every single day and working hard, that’s all that matters,” Brown said according to ESPN.
Barkley also says he has been spending time golfing with some of his new teammates, quarterbacks Kenny Pickett and Will Grier, and some of the offensive linemen. It seems as though Barkley has already proven his value of being a team member and leader on and off the practice field for the Eagles. Now to see it all come together on the field during the season this fall.
Barkley will make his official Eagles debut in a Week 1 Friday night matchup against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil.
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