Saquon Barkley loves running behind Landon Dickerson.
That may not be possible this season, depending on the severity of the reported meniscus injury for the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive lineman.
ESPN's Dan Orlovsky shared a remarkable stat on X on Monday afternoon:
"Including playoffs, Saquon Barkley ran directly behind Landon Dickerson 97 times for 688 yards (7.1/carry) last season, 455 of which came before contact."
That's remarkable.
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Regular season and playoffs combined, Barkley ran for 2,504 yards. Those Dickerson plays account for more than 27% of Barkley's rushing yards, and with about two-thirds of those yards coming before contact.
That's not to say Barkley won't be exceptional without Dickerson. You don't run for 2,004 regular season yards and another 499 in the playoffs on the way to a Super Bowl thanks to just one offensive lineman.
The Eagles have an incredible unit of large men up front paving the way for Saquon.
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It is a reminder of why these guys matter, though. Offensive linemen fly under the radar while the superstars that play behind them put up the big numbers.
Those players aren't alone in their statistics, though. They need defenders cleared out and holes created to get to where they want to go.
Dickerson has been great at that in his career in Philly, but now his availability for the 2025 season is in question. Barkley, and the rest of the Eagles' offense, will pay at least some price for that. Just how much is something that will only be seen once the regular season arrives.
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