Veteran Viewpoints

PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles travel to the Windy City ahead of a Monday night matchup with the Chicago Bears. The Eagles (2-0) will look to continue their winning ways against a Bears team down to its third, possibly second, quarterback.

The week of preparation revealed notable roster moves, as well as encouraging news on the injury, including a positive development regarding star pass rusher Jonathan Greenard, who is officially listed as questionable.

Some notes on Saquon Barkley and Andy Dalton:

GETTY IMAGES: Saquon Barkley has played through nagging injuries, and will battle the Bears on Monday night nursing a stinger.

Saquon Barkley bounces back

On the Eagles’ first offensive play of the game last week in Nashville, Saquon Barkley accepted the handoff from Jalen Hurts and was quickly met at the line of scrimmage by Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons for no gain.

Barkley, shaken up on the play, retreated to the sideline, where he remained for the entirety of the first half with what was determined to be a stinger, a painful nerve injury. Armed with a neck roll for added protection, Barkley logged 11 gutsy second half snaps, though it was evident the All-Pro running back was hampered by the injury.

For much of the game, the Eagles turned the backfield over to reserves Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley, though running room was scarce, as the duo combined for just 57 yards on 20 attempts.

Barkley, who began the practice week as a limited participant before being upgraded to full the final two days, acknowledged that he has encountered the same injury before, but it was the first “bad one” he’s sustained in quite some time.

To ensure the injury wasn’t something more severe, Barkley had an MRI as a precautionary measure. He called the stinger a “wake-up call,” acknowledging he’s been “super active” in focusing on his lower body for preservation purposes, and not as much when it came to neck stability and strength. He said that will now become part of his maintenance process.

During the game, Barkley was spotted flexing his left hand, potentially affecting his grip on the football as both a runner and as a receiver, though he downplayed that aspect of the injury.

“I’m a right-handed ball carrier, anyway,” he said Friday. “When I got here, they had to kind of whoop me into shape to carry the ball in my left hand. So yeah, when that happened, I wasn’t really worried about that part. Nerve things are scary. Like I said, it’s football. It’s not the first thing I ever got. It won’t be the last, but some are worse than others. And the most important thing, our trainers did a really good job of protecting.

“Sometimes you gotta protect yourself. The trainers gotta protect you from yourself. And I think they did that, ’cause the second I had any strength back, I was ready to go back out there. But I had to wait till my strength fully came back. But my strength is back. We’re calming the nerve down, and I’m blessed. I get to play Monday night against the Chicago Bears, and I’m excited for that.”

For Sean Mannion’s offense to be fully imagined, the Eagles could certainly use a boost from the run game. Through two games, the Eagles’ top three running backs have combined for 156 rushing yards. Barkley carries a 4.8 yards per carry average, while Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley sit at 2.6 and 3.1, respectively. Yards have been difficult to come by, and the backs are often encountering contact before being able to generate much momentum.

The common sentiment expressed this week is that they’re close to breaking through. Patience was always going to be required when considering the enormity of the schematic change. The learning curve might’ve even steepened a bit when factoring in the changes made at interior offensive line. As Barkley notes, it’s not a finished product and there isn’t any sense of panic.

“The best way I can answer that is it’s not a finished product, and don’t want it to be a finished product in week two, week three. You want to continue to go like this. Just got to continue to buy in. It’s all relatively new to all of us in the run game. We’re still, as we’re learning and trying to continue to buy into something new, we’re going out there and we’re seeing some funky looks, some weird looks.

“It’s a sign that the defense still respecting the run game, which has opened up other things, but it’s gonna be a beautiful thing when we’re all firing at the same page. And talking to J (Jalen Hurts) and the guys about it and talking to O-line, it’s not a sense of any panic. Everybody wants the big numbers, but I’m in a good spot of knowing that the work that’s being put in and just continue to focus on our process and the results will come.

“I wish I could tell you that they were gonna come in week one. I wish I could guarantee it’s gonna come week three. You just never know, but I know that the results will come. And when we get this thing rolling, it’s gonna be something scary.”

Andy Dalton has accomplished plenty in the NFL, but still wants to attend Wimbledon.

Perspective from a 16-year veteran

In the NFL, 16-year playing careers are at a premium. Such is the grueling nature of the sport.

One would presume that sentiment would particularly ring true for someone like Andy Dalton, a starting quarterback in 169 of 179 regular season appearances. Dalton, 38, is now on his sixth team, but for nine seasons he was once the face of the Cincinnati Bengals. His 204 passing touchdowns are the most in Bengals history, and his 31,594 passing yards qualify for second-most, behind only Ken Anderson.

He’s started playoff games and been elected to multiple Pro Bowls. He’s started 36 games since departing from Cincinnati following the 2019 season, most recently serving the role of a savvy veteran reserve behind the likes of Bryce Young in Carolina, and now, Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia.

With the Eagles, Dalton is entrenched as Hurts’ immediate backup. And while Dalton is highly competitive by nature, he’s embraced his role.

Sixteen years in, the fire still burns.

“I’m still having fun,” he said recently. “I think that’s part of it. And I know once I’m done, I’m done. You can’t get this game back. So, at this point, I’m just trying to get everything out of it that I can.”

As Dalton pointed out, transitioning into a backup role “you still find ways to compete” and “enjoy the process or everything.”

How does Dalton feed his appetite for competitiveness?

“One, it can be practice,” he explained. “It could be going against our defense, but also, it can be in the weight room just working on things. You’re trying to hit certain strength goals and different thing. And so, you just find different areas that you try to get it in.”

That dynamic for Dalton also extends off the field. The veteran quarterback was visibly passionate when the subject of tennis was broached. It’s a sport that he said his wife also partakes in, that Dalton aims to play five times a week in the offseason.

I asked for his scouting report:

“I mean, I’ve got a big serve, obviously,” he said. “It translates for the throwing motion. And then, for me, it’s forehand. The backhand could use a little work, but I hit a one-handed backhand. So, trying to keep that alive.”

In the Eagles’ media guide, Dalton listed “Going to Wimbledon” as his bucket list item.

Wimbledon, of course, is perhaps the world’s most famous tennis tournament. Dalton’s bucket list item is a befitting desire for a tennis aficionado. And from the sound of it, he could soon check the box of his elusive goal.

“Hopefully next year,” he said. “We thought about going this year, but hopefully next year we can get there.”

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is the Eagles beat reporter for InsideTheBirds.com.