Eagles’ Nick Sirianni Faces Questions on Multi-Injury Night for Saquon Barkley

The Philadelphia Eagles lost a fifth consecutive game Monday night, falling to the Dallas Cowboys 38-21. The 2026 season is quickly becoming a lost season for the Eagles, but it's rather clear running back Saquon Barkley isn't giving up just yet.

Barkley played despite obviously dealing with a leg injury throughout the night. The running back shared with reporters he re-injured his hamstring and tweaked his back on the first play of the game.

Barkley fought through the injuries to provide what production he could. The All-Pro ran for 62 yards and a touchdown.

It was a typical great player delivering what he could to try and provide his struggling team a spark. But with the back drop of the Jalen Hurt blood clot controversy with the Eagles, head coach Nick Sirianni faced questions about what went into the decision to play Barkley and continue to allow him to play after he sustained multiple injuries on the first play.

"Obviously, you saw that he was on a pitch count here today, and there was constant communication to see how he was feeling, to see where he was," said Sirianni. "He came out early in the second half. Again, when you go into something like that, you make sure the player's health is first and foremost. Is he ready to go? Do they feel ready to go? Do the doctors and trainers feel like they are ready to go?

"We felt like that was the case today. But obviously, we wanted to keep a close eye on him. He's tough as heck."

While Barkley ran for 62 yards, he did that with only seven carries. The Eagles also appeared to be careful to almost always give Barkley the ball when he was on the field.

In other words, he wasn't getting any unnecessary snaps. The Eagles didn't bother trying to use him as a decoy.

In addition to the 62 rushing yards, Barkley also had two catches for nine yards.