It may be the Saquon Barkley Show, but don’t forget Kenny Gainwell – NBC Sports Philadelphia

Saquon, Saquon, Saquon, Saquon, Saquon.

Yes. But don’t forget Kenny Gainwell.

That’s easy. Saquon Barkley has the big contract, three 1,000-yard seasons and two Pro Bowls on his resume. He’s the star of the Eagles’ running back room. But new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s story says Gainwell will play a significant role this year, too.

“I hope so, and I’m pretty sure Kellen will make sure we get those great opportunities, and when they come our way, we’ll take full advantage of them,” Gainwell said.

“He’s basically just giving us a bigger chance to get everybody involved. And he’s doing a great job of that. I’m excited about it. I’m getting a great opportunity. I’m just glad he’s here.”

Gainwell averaged 6.4 touches per game in his first three years with the Eagles, with a high of 7.1 last year.

Among running backs who have started fewer than five games since 2021, he has the 4^th-most touches and 4^th-most scrimmage yards.

In fact, he has a higher average yards per touch (5.2) than Barkley (4.9).

Gainwell was a backup to Miles Sanders for two years and D’Andre Swift for one year, but is one of only three running backs in the NFL with at least 400 scrimmage yards, 4.3 yards per carry and 20 catches in each of the last three seasons. The others are Christian McCaffrey and Aaron Jones.

It’s hard to say exactly what his role will be, and we know Barkley will do the lion’s share of the work. But we also know Moore likes to use multiple backs and receivers to give his guys plenty of rest and keep the defense off balance.

We will find out what this will look like from Friday onwards.

“When the opportunity comes, I’ll be ready,” Gainwell said. “I’ve always been ready. My mindset has always been highly focused. I’m just going to keep working on myself, working on my mental state and keep doing everything I need to do. The little things are the most important. I’m going to do whatever I need to do to make sure I’m ready when the time comes.”

With Barkley, Gainwell now has his third Pro Bowl running back teammate and he said he has learned something from each of them.

“I learn a lot from Saquon, his explosive ability,” he said. “He’s bigger than the other guys. Just those forward leans and running through tackles, you can learn that from him and all the other guys. I’m glad I get the opportunity to be around these All-Pro Bowlers, all Pro Bowl guys.”

Gainwell had another very good training camp and had the ball in his hands a lot. Part of that was just Moore trying to monitor Barkey’s workload. But you also get the feeling that the offensive coaches really like the variety that the 25-year-old Gainwell brings.

And if he seemed more explosive than in the past, there is a reason for that.

“I’m just working on the explosiveness of my quick steps,” he said. “I’m going from basically one or two drive steps to longer strides. That’s just something I’ve been working on and it’s helped me.”

“I’m pretty sure everyone’s saying, ‘He’s a little more explosive this year.’ I think I was explosive, but that’s something I had to understand about myself and continue to work on it and get better. Everything happens with time. We don’t just learn one thing overnight. That’s just something I’ve been working on.”

And he has a fan in Barkley.

“Kenny is a lot stronger than I thought he was,” Barkley said. “I would say that. That’s what I noticed when I started training and working with him in the offseason. And he’s super smart.”

With Barkley, Gainwell and rookie Will Shipley, the Eagles have a potentially very good running back team with three versatile players with different skills.

It will be difficult for Gainwell and Shipley to make a big impression, but Gainwell is confident. And ready.

“Will is working hard, I’m working hard, Saquon is working hard, every running back is working hard right now,” he said. “We’re all trading off of each other to make sure we come out strong and are the best on the field whenever we get the opportunity. It’s tough competition.”