Saquon Barkley practiced in a limited capacity on Friday and was set to be available against the Commanders, a late-week update that gave the Philadelphia Eagles a clearer answer on their backfield heading into Sunday. Barkley had not practiced on Wednesday and Thursday because of hamstring and back injuries, but the final session of the week pointed to him being ready to go.
That was the question because Barkley had already missed two games with a hamstring injury before returning against the Cowboys on Monday night, then came out of that game limited again after aggravating the hamstring and injuring his back. He said he had a good week of work and rehab before Friday practice, and that he was trying to be smart while still pushing to get on the field.
His status mattered because the Eagles were trying to sort through multiple injuries at once. The team had a full practice after a Wednesday walkthrough coming off the Monday night game against Dallas, but several players were on the injury report at different levels, from limited to did not participate. Jaydon Blue was signed to the active roster after Dameon Pierce was placed on Injured Reserve, and Elijah Mitchell was elevated from the practice squad against the Commanders, which added another layer to how the backfield could be handled.
The rest of the report showed how thin things could get around him. Jonathan Greenard was a full participant, Jalyx Hunt remained limited, and Nolan Smith cleared concussion protocol to make all of the Eagles' edge rushers available. Moro Ojomo was limited all week with a neck injury, Britain Covey was ruled out of Sunday's contest, and DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks had not practiced for two straight weeks. Jihaad Campbell and Jonathan Jones were ruled out after not participating all week, while Marcus Epps was added Thursday with a jaw injury that required a concussion evaluation and was officially limited.
Even with Barkley expected to play, the bigger unknown was how much he would actually be used after the hamstring setback and the back issue that followed. He said he did not want to look back and regret not giving it a chance, but the Eagles still had to decide whether to lean on him or keep the workload measured in a game that will test how ready he really is.
