Saquon Barkley Injury Update, New Rumors on Earliest Timeline to Return to Eagles as Jalen Hurts Out

Even though the Philadelphia Eagles have already ruled Saquon Barkley out for Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers, the star running back could be back in Week 7.

Per ESPN's Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter, the Eagles "believe" there is a "realistic" chance Barkley returns from his hamstring injury against the Dallas Cowboys for the Oct. 26 matchup on Monday Night Football.

Barkley's absence comes as the Eagles will also be without Jalen Hurts for at least one game due to a superficial blood clot in his calf.

Rapoport and Schefter added there has been no discussion among Eagles officials about putting Hurts on injured reserve.

Barkley injured his hamstring in the first quarter of Philadelphia's 24-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 4. He sat out the team's Week 5 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

The Eagles officially ruled Barkley out for this week after their final practice on Friday. He has yet to practice in any capacity since suffering the injury.

Philadelphia is currently using fourth-string running back Dameon Pierce in a starting role. Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley are both on injured reserve.

Pierce made his season debut against the Jaguars, finishing with 14 yards on 11 carries. The 26-year-old is in his fifth NFL season. Since running for 939 yards as a rookie with the Houston Texans, he has 759 yards on 210 carries in 31 appearances.

The volume of injuries for the Eagles right now has them in danger of falling out of playoff contention quickly. Tanner McKee is set to make his third career start at quarterback on Sunday.

Barkley has 182 rushing yards on 36 carries in four starts, but he has yet to score a touchdown this season. His potential return against a Cowboys defense that has struggled to start 2026 could be a big boost for the Eagles.

Philadelphia has lost three straight games following a 2-0 start. The Eagles will look to avoid their first four-game losing streak since the 2020 season when they finished 4-11-1.