Barkley is back at practice, and Monday night just got a little more interesting

Saquon Barkley returned to practice Thursday after missing two games with a hamstring injury, and the Eagles list him as questionable for Monday night against the Cowboys. That's not a guarantee he plays, but it's movement in the right direction for an offense that has precious little of it right now.

The timing matters. Tanner McKee is the quarterback, Jalen Hurts is done for the year, and the Eagles are 2-4 with four straight losses. In that environment, a functional running game isn't a luxury — it's the most direct way to keep McKee from having to carry the offense. Barkley gives the Eagles something to hand off to and a credible screen-and-check-down option that the backup backfield simply hasn't provided at the same level.

Dallas Goedert, meanwhile, missed Thursday's practice with a knee issue and is also questionable. If both are limited or out Monday, McKee is operating with a thin receiving corps and a patchwork backfield. If Barkley is active and somewhere close to full, that changes the math enough to be worth watching.

Eleven games left, 1.5 games out of the last wild card spot. The Eagles aren't eliminated. Getting Barkley back doesn't fix the quarterback situation, but it gives McKee a genuine running threat behind him — and right now, that's about as good as the news gets in Philadelphia.