The Washington Commanders open their 2026 regular season on the road this Sunday, traveling to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to face the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Stadium at 4:25 p.m. EDT.
Opening the season against a division rival makes for a rough start, especially on the road, but this Commanders team is ready and raring to go. Every player wearing burgundy and gold this Sunday has a chip on their shoulder, and they’re ready to prove to the NFL that everything we think about them is wrong.
One question mark around the Commanders’ offense is the ground game. Last season, then-rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt earned his way into the starting role after some injuries and solid play on the field, but it was still mostly
running-back-by-committee. This season, the Commanders plan to employ the same tactics as last season, using Wild Bill, Rachaad White, and rookie Kaytron Allen.
With that in mind, it’s time for the first edition of Gimmie Him in 2026, and we wouldn’t be doing our jobs right if we didn’t say that we’d take the Eagles’ running back Saquon Barkley.
Barkley is one of the greatest running backs of the modern era, right up there with Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey. His 2025 season didn’t see him reach the 2,000-yard mark he hit in 2024, but that doesn’t take away from his ability on the field. He is a dynamic back who consistently averages over four yards per carry, catches passes when asked, and records around 10 touchdowns per season between running and receiving.
The Commanders haven’t had a consistent ground game for multiple years since Clinton Portis. They have had solid running backs, but nothing has been consistent, outside of Alfred Morris’ three-year run. Even then, that was over 10 years ago.
Running-back-by-committee will also include Jayden Daniels, whether offensive coordinator David Blough wants that to happen or not, which is why the Commanders need to seek out someone who can be their next top running back. Someone who will stick around for more than a couple of seasons, because he’s worth keeping. In this hypothetical exercise, we’ll take Saquon Barkley from the Eagles all day long.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Gimme Him: One player Commanders would steal from Eagles in Week 1
