Saquon Barkley is Back to Save the Eagles from Themselves

The Philadelphia Eagles are finally getting their most expensive safety blanket back just in time for a primetime salvage job.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, running back Saquon Barkley is returning to practice today and is in line to suit up Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys.

"Mike Garafolo reported Barkley is expected to return to practice and play Monday."

This is the exact kind of news that makes offensive coordinators weep tears of joy. Barkley has missed back-to-back games with a hamstring issue, and the results have been objectively gross. Philadelphia just dropped a 25-14 rock fight to the Carolina Panthers, looking completely devoid of a backup plan.

To make matters worse, the rest of the backfield is a literal medical tent. Backup Tank Bigsby is headed for injured reserve after core muscle surgery, and Jalen Hurts is currently playing through his own physical issues. Hurts has a 44-18 record over the last four years, but asking a banged-up quarterback to carry an offense with zero rushing threat is how you ruin a season before Thanksgiving.

Getting Barkley back completely flips the math for Monday night. The Cowboys are limping into this matchup themselves after getting handled 23-13 by the Green Bay Packers. Dallas has looked highly susceptible to the run, meaning Barkley is walking into a script that demands a heavy workload. Anyone looking at player props is going to have a field day trying to figure out if the Eagles ease him in or immediately hand him the ball 25 times.

There are regular-season games, and then there are desperation bowls between two NFC East teams trying to avoid a full-blown crisis. Barkley returning doesn't fix all of Philadelphia's structural issues, but it does give them the one guy capable of turning a broken play into a 40-yard touchdown.

We will see exactly how healthy that hamstring is when the lights come on Monday. If Barkley looks like his normal explosive self, the Eagles might just survive this rough patch. If he looks hesitant, Philadelphia is going to have a very long, very uncomfortable week.