PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley wanted to be a student in team history before he had a chance to make some with the Eagles
The running back who had just signed with Philadelphia for $26 million guaranteed took a deep dive on some of the franchise’s greats out of the backfield.
He learned about Wilbert Montgomery. Brushed up on LeSean McCoy.
Barkley then put them in his sights — and this week against Carolina, he could become the top single-season rusher in Eagles history.
Get past those two Eagles Hall of Famers and the target narrows: McCoy has a chance to break Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing mark of 2,105 yards, set in 1984.
“That’s your goal,” Barkley said. “You want to come in here, you want to leave a legacy on a place, on a franchise.”
Here’s where things stand with Barkley in his pursuit of records
— Barkley has an NFL-best 1,499 yards rushing through 12 games, an average of 124.9 yards per game. At that pace and with one more game to play than Dickerson, he would surpass the NFL mark that’s stood for 40 years.
— Barkley needs to run for 108 yards against the Panthers to break McCoy’s Eagles record of 1,607 yards set in 2013. Montgomery ran for 1,512 yards in 1978.
“I’m aware of the things I can accomplish,” Barkley said. “The way I accomplish that is sticking to the script.”
The Eagles (10-2) have won eight straight to take control of the NFC East and remain in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the conference. Barkley — with a little help from Jalen Hurts — has largely led the way and moved into MVP consideration. The former New York Giant also ranks third in the league with 11 rushing touchdowns.