Eagles teammates remain in shock that Saquon Barkley signed with Giants rival

Apparently, Saquon Barkley really wanted to get out of Dodge... His New York Giants departure was as strange as it was controversial. Although the Philadelphia Eagles were not found guilty of tampering, it is still odd to see a back of Barkley's caliber switch allegiances in division at this stage of his career. You better believe Barkley is going to be as fired up as possible during the Eagles' two Giants games.

While appearing on NFL Network, Eagles star offensive tackle Lane Johnson touched on how the offseason is going so far for Philadelphia, as well as how truly incredible that he gets to be teammates with Barkley. Johnson now gets the distinct pleasure of opening up running lanes for Barkley, as opposed to marveling at his prowess from the sidelines. Again, how did Barkley end up with the Eagles?

Barkley's pro career has been up and down due to injuries, but he was still a former No. 2 overall pick.

“He’s ultra competitive. When you see what he can do at the running back position and we can flex him out at receiver, he can go. It’s unbelievable. I never thought that he would be playing for us, but here it is. I know that he’s excited. We’re definitely excited up front. I think he’s poised for a big, big year.”

Right now, I have the Eagles as my pick to win the NFC East. It is kind of a default pick because I trust the operation as a whole more than the others. New York will probably circle the drain, while Washington rebuilds and Dallas remains in doubt about its finite shelf life as a competitive entity. All the while, Philadelphia has the potential to knock off either Detroit or San Francisco in conference.

For as versatile as the Eagles offense was to begin with, adding Barkley will make it even more so.

Lane Johnson still cannot believe Saquon Barkley is on his team now

I think what intrigues me the most about Johnson's comments about his new teammate is how appreciative he is of the opportunity to play with an all-time talent like Barkley. We know that Johnson is now the elder statesman in the trenches for the Eagles upon center Jason Kelce's retirement. We also know Barkley only has so many years left in the tank after the Giants largely wasted his prime.

As long as quarterback Jalen Hurts continues to grow as a passer, this team will be hard to beat. However, if it hits the fan for The Birds like it did in the second half of the season, I cannot say for certain that Nick Sirianni will get another year to lead this team. Philadelphia would be the best job to open up next offseason, but you have to wonder what stage are the Eagles in their competitive cycle.

Ultimately, this was a move echoing the sentiments that everyone who follows the NFL obviously realizes. The Eagles are firmly in win-now mode. At this time, I feel strongly that they are a playoff team, probably one of the eight best teams in the league today. The big question I have is if they have the fortitude to be consistent enough to overtake the likes of Detroit and San Francisco atop the NFC.

The addition of Barkley certainly helps the Eagles be more balanced, but I saw how last year ended...