The contest between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys on "Monday Night Football" in Week 7 feels like a must-win for both 2-4 teams.
Given the news that Jalen Hurts is lost for the season, a loss could mean the Eagles will look toward building for the future before the Nov. 10 deadline instead of making bold moves to win now.
The status of running back Saquon Barkley will be crucial for Monday night's game. Barkley has missed time due to an ankle injury.
On Thursday, the Eagles provided an update on Barkley that shows the running back is making progress, but he still has more to show before he's ready to light it up against the Cowboys. The Eagles listed Barkley as a limited participant in practice for Thursday.
The good news is that he returned to practice, a good sign that he can get back on the field soon.
The Eagles have every reason in the world to be cautious with Barkley. There is a possibility that Philadelphia would trade the star running back before the deadline. If that were the case, the Eagles wouldn't want to take a risk of Barkley suffering a setback just weeks before the deadline.
Barkley told reporters he wants to play against the Cowboys on Monday night. Per ESPN's Tim McManus, Barkley said it would be a "disservice" for him to say he would guarantee he'd be available against Dallas. He's listening to the trainers, something that might have more scrutiny this week given the headlines around Philadelphia and Hurts for the quarterback's health issue.
Barkley said he wanted to play against the Carolina Panthers before the Eagles' loss on Sunday, but he suggested Philadelphia decided to be cautious by keeping him out last week. Barkley will test out the ankle this week and believes he's trending in the right direction to play Dallas.
Barkley leads the Eagles in rushing with 182 yards on 36 carries, an average of 5.1 yards per carry. He had no rushing touchdowns through his first four games. He has four receptions for eight yards.
The Eagles ground game sans Barkley has not been good. Philadelphia is averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Hurts is the Eagles’ second-leading rusher. Tank Bigsby has the third-most rushing yards with 91 yards on 28 carries. Will Shipley has 57 yards on 20 carries.
Barkley would be a considerable boost for the offense with backup quarterback Tanner McKee.