Change has been afoot for everyone with Sean Mannion joining the team as the new Offensive Coordinator.

Mannion has worked in offenses that utilize the quarterback under center in many packages, something that affects the running back position. To prepare for the potential change, Saquon Barkley has been talking to former NFL running back Todd Gurley.

Every offseason, Barkley studies film of running backs across the league to see what he can add to his game. Growing up as a fan of the two-time All-Pro, Barkley decided to reach out to Gurley personally to learn more about the way he attacked NFL defenses.

"Under center, you can see it a little clear. You're not blinded," Barkley said after a June minicamp practice. "There's a lot of unique things you can do ... look forward to doing that. Probably be the most I've ever done it under center."

This offseason has been somewhat of a reset for Barkley. After winning Super Bowl LIX, the team had a short offseason with less time to rest. The end result was a 2025 campaign for Barkley that he was not satisfied with.

You heard that right. Rushing for 1,140 yards, becoming the first Eagle to record back-to-back 1,000+ yard rushing seasons since LeSean McCoy (2013-14), is a disappointment to Barkley.

"Going to the Super Bowl is long. It's a long season. It's more mentally draining than anything," Barkley said.

"It's easy when you rush for all these yards and you win a Super Bowl. It's easy to watch film and move on to the next chapter. But when it doesn't go the way you want it to, you've got to lock in even more, be more detailed in yourself, be more critical of yourself. You've got to be a big self-critic and just go back and watch the film and see what I can do better."

The former NFL Offensive Player of the Year is appreciating the few extra weeks of offseason training and feels more prepared than last season.

"You get a little more time to work on yourself. I thought I was able to get myself into better shape coming into the offseason," Barkley said. "It's been fun. It's been a fun offseason. Got some time to relax, get my body back and my body right, and now we're back into the grind of it."

Part of that fun for Barkley has been implementing the changes to the offense under Mannion.

"It's kind of fun going back to like I'm a little kid again, just working on my steps, working on my little details and techniques," Barkley said. "It's a challenge I'm looking forward to working on and getting better at and trying to be the best at."

Barkley's pursuit of perfection is relentless. He wants to be the best in the NFL at everything he does; ask any question and the star running back will work in a sentence about how he is trying to improve. Barkley is a big believer in putting the work in and trusting that the work will "take care of itself," but knows that it won't always work out.

"Even though it doesn't guarantee you anything, it gives you a hell of a chance," Barkley said. "So I'm always going to have the mindset of putting the work in. Whether it's physically or mentally, whether it's strength, whether it's speed, mobility, all those things that I need to improve as a player. I'm going to have that same mindset whether I'm 29, whether I'm 21, or if I'm 33."

Barkley now enters his ninth NFL Training Camp, third with the Eagles. He knows his strengths and what he needs to get better at in order to be the best playmaker he could possibly be. That's what this offseason for Barkley is about, especially with the offensive scheme change.

The 2024 Offensive Player of the Year has called himself a natural two-cut back, using his explosiveness off both legs to create something out of nothing. With the new system in place, Barkley is trying to improve himself as a one-cut back to get down the field as fast as possible.

It's a welcome change.

"Having the mindset of attacking it more, stretching them, getting the defense to expand, and then when you get the opportunity to put your foot in the ground, do it fast, violent, and physical," Barkley said. "I think it's a great plan that (Mannion) is putting together. And now he's just taking a step-by-step and coming to work every single day and improving on it."

Saquon is going to continue to work on the little things, to perfect his role in the new offense. Even with all the changes to his training and the offense, some things stay the same.

"My favorite part is getting back around the guys and building that together part. I feel like it's really important," Barkley said. "We had that in 2024. I think that's a big part of why we were able to accomplish what we wanted to accomplish."

"There's a lot of like-minded guys, whether it's (Jalen Hurts), whether it's myself, whether it's Jordan (Mailata), whether it's Lane (Johnson), Zack (Baun), the list goes on and on of guys who just have the will of wanting to get better and wanting to learn and improve." - Written by Caroline Connor