“He hit a whole different gear”: DeVonta Smith reveals Saquon Barkley’s skill that makes him unstoppable

DeVonta Smith gets to see first-hand the greatness that is Saquon Barkley on the gridiron. Smith played his first season with Barkley after the star running back signed with the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason, ending his six-season run with the New York Giants.

The result was a historic season for Barkley, which had the running back in the NFL MVP conversation alongside the likes of Lamar Jackson and eventual winner Josh Allen. Smith recently joined the "7 pm in Brooklyn" podcast with Carmelo Anthony, where he praised Barkley for his dynamic skill on the field.

Smith went into detail, describing exactly what he sees on the field when he's blocking for Barkley on a running play. Check it out here below (at the 51:20 mark):

“I ain't lying as a receiver. Once I put hands on, I'm looking back to see where he at, trying to make make sure you know he got the lane and stuff, and like sometime I just see him like the way he jump cuts and then when he hit the hole, it's like he hit a whole different gear.

"You're not catching him and it was just like bro like I ain't never seen nothing like it. Yeah, like the ability to just be able to jump cut in tight spaces, and then when you want to get full speed, it's no build-up, it's like right now you're at full speed.”

Barkley rushed the football 345 times last season for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns. He ran behind a dominant Philadelphia Eagles offensive line that cleared the way for him all season, being a huge reason why the team made it to the Super Bowl, and was victorious against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Can Saquon Barkley continue his dominant ways in 2025?

NFL: Super Bowl LIX Philadelphia Eagles Championship Parade - Source: Imagn

It will be interesting to see if Barkley can replicate anything close to the success he saw last season in 2025. The Eagles offensive line has lost guard Mekhi Becton to free agency, after Becton signed a two-year, $20 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. Philadelphia also lost offensive tackle Fred Johnson to free agency, as he just signed a one-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Johnson was the Eagles' swing tackle, who started six games for the Eagles last season. The Eagles added Kenyon Green in a trade with the Houston Texans to add depth to the offensive line unit, in an attempt to fill the void left behind by Johnson and Becton.

Philly fans will be keeping a close eye on the personnel changes up front to see if it impacts Barkley's effectiveness in a major way in 2025.