Saquon Barkley’s phone buzzed in his locker stall with no one around to hear. Just before the halftime whistle of the Eagles’ penultimate regular-season game, the running back received a text message from his longtime trainer Moe Gibson that he wouldn’t see until hours later.

Shortly after running back Saquon Barkley signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent last March, his new teammates noted how he embraced a leadership role following the retirements of "culture guys" Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox.