Saquon Barkley gets Cowboys fans hopes up with response to former WR's recruitment

The Super Bowl matchup is set, which means we're one step closer to rumors and speculating consuming everyday NFL storylines. The Dallas Cowboys are already experiencing this since their season ended three weeks ago.

Look no further than the Stefon Diggs discourse that's flared up following the Bills' playoff loss. Some outlets have taken the initiative to propose a potential Diggs-Cowboys trade. This seemingly is only the start of Diggs-to-Dallas speculation.

What is sure to get Cowboys Nation talking, though, is when free agents on social media float the possibility of signing with the team. Former receiver and fan favorite Cole Beasley is already recruiting stars to his former club. That player is none other than Saquon Barkley.

Beasley is tired of Barkley being disrespected by the Giants organization and wants the star running back to sign with the Cowboys to stick it to New York. Beasley took a little dig at Dallas in the process but that's not the story here.

Beasley's tweet surprisingly got a response from Barkley.

Saquon Barkley responds to Cole Beasley's Cowboys recruitment pitch

Barkley replying to a former teammate doesn't mean much. However, his contract has been a polarizing topic in East Rutherford. Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeux poured gasoline on the proverbial fire last week when he said on a podcast that New York should've paid Barkley instead of quarterback Daniel Jones.

The Giants controversially gave Jones a four-year, $160 million extension last offseason, including $82 million guaranteed when he signed and another $12 million that locks in March. Barkley, the team's offensive centerpiece and lifeblood for four years, was slapped with the $10.09 million franchise tag before signing a revised one-year, $11 million contract before training camp.

A free agent again, Barkley would add a needed big-play element to the Cowboys offense. That said, we're forced to question whether he'd be a diligent signing after Dallas' offensive line struggled to block for Tony Pollard this year.

Barkley is a better all-around back than Pollard, including between the tackles where Pollard struggled mightily in 2023. Despite being stuck in a porous Giants offense, he still managed 1,242 scrimmage yards (962 rushing) and 10 total touchdowns. He ranked in the top 10 in yards after contact and explosive runs at the position, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

The kicker is whether the Cowboys would invest considerable resources into a running back with a concerning injury history after finally getting out from under Ezekiel Elliott's contract and Pollard's $10.09 million franchise tag.

Signing Barkley would certainly qualify as an all-in move, and we all know Jerry Jones love adding household names to the Cowboys roster. At the very least, Beasley put the thought of sticking it to the Giants in Barkley's head.

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