Eagles eager to swoop in on Saquon: report

Saquon Barkley might not have to stay with the Giants to stay in the NFC East.

The Eagles have interest in signing Saquon Barkley, according to insider Howard Eskin of 94.1 WIP in Philadelphia.

It is expected that interest would be returned, as The Post has included the Eagles as one of Barkley’s most likely landing spots for weeks.

Not only would Barkley, a Coplay, Pa., native, be playing in front of the favorite team of most of his longtime friends, the 27-year-old would find with the Eagles the best offensive line that he ever has run behind and an annual opportunity to reach the playoffs.

Even without the retired Jason Kelce, the Eagles boast two-time Pro Bowler Landon Dickerson, two-time First-Team All-Pro Lane Johnson and well-regarded Jordan Mailata up front, along with highly drafted youngsters Cam Jurgens and Tyler Steen.

The Eagles typically do not spend big on running backs — ranking no higher than No. 18 in salary-cap allocation to the position in any season since 2018, according to spotrac.com. Could Barkley be the exception?

The Eagles’ offense flamed out last season, and general manager Howie Roseman does have a history of renting stars who might put the team over the top.

Barkley would add another dimension of explosiveness if he is amenable to a shorter contract that could reset his value if he puts up big numbers in a situation more conducive to production than running behind the Giants’ offensive line — ranked bottom-three across the NFL in each of the past three seasons by Pro Football Focus. Of course, he would have to stay healthy after missing 24 games (14 to a torn ACL in 2020) due to injury over his six-year career. The Giants and Barkley’s agent Ed Berry did not exchange offers during the eight weeks since last season ended, a source told The Post. The door is not closed on a return, but the sides mutually decided it was best to let the open market determine Barkley’s value after last year’s tense negotiations ended with a gap of less than $2 million in guaranteed money and Barkley played on the franchise tag ($10.1 million). D’Andre Swift, 25, rushed for 1,049 yards for the Eagles last season and is a free agent. Miles Sanders left the Eagles for the Panthers in free agency last offseason after rushing for 1,269 yards.