Eagles have big plans for Saquon Barkley as a receiver

Since the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl, it can be easy to forget: The Chiefs mostly bottled up Saquon Barkley on the ground.

The Eagles and Barkley are well aware of that fact, though, and they have a plan to counteract it.

It's time to reactivate Barkley as a receiver.

ESPN's Tim McManus described the plan in a new article out Friday:

"Barkley has been quite active as a receiver in training camp, lining up all over the formation and challenging defenders in short and intermediate distances as well as deep down the field. Barkley has pulled in some difficult catches, including a one-hander in the flat, and has been predictably difficult to get a hold of once in space. He nearly secured a long touchdown pass from Hurts on a fly route, but rookie linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. knocked the ball loose at the last moment."

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When Barkley broke into the league with the New York Giants, he was thrown to a ton. He had 91 catches for 721 yards as a rookie.

Last season, Barkley totaled 33 catches for 278 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It was the fewest receptions in a full season in his career.

Barkley himself is comfortable with trying to move his game back in a pass-catching direction.

"It's something that I'm really comfortable with, something that I did especially early on in my career. And I've got to be able to adapt," Barkley told ESPN. "It's got to look different. What different looks like, I don't know, but I've got to be effective in many ways and that's in pass pro, that's catching the ball, that's running the ball, that's leading. The only thing that matters is winning football games. 'Whatever I can do to help,' that's my mindset."

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The Eagles still have lots of offensive weapons in a unit that's almost the same from the one that won the Super Bowl.

It's the defense in Philadelphia that has seen major shakeups.

But the offense will be getting Barkley more involved in the passing game, and that's a change worth noting, because it could make them even more dangerous.

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