Can Saquon Barkley repeat his 2,000-yard season? Here's how the previous eight NFL running backs have fared

As NFL training camps begin this week, get ready for headlines, tweets, reels and banners across the bottom of your screens wondering if Saquon Barkley can rush for 2,000 yards again this season.

The safe and easy answer is no, since Barkley is one of just nine running backs in the 100-plus years of NFL existence to reach that milestone. And none of the first eight have ever repeated the feat the following season, or in any season afterward. (Though Derrick Henry came close last season.)

But then again, we had never seen Barkley perform in a dynamic offense with a dominant offensive line. We also never saw anyone before Barkley backwards-hurdle a defender while shaking off a tackle, so, really, who knows what he's capable of next?

So let's look into what the numbers tell us about 2,000-yard rushers. 

Here's how the first eight running backs to rush for more than 2,000 yards did the following season:

Given the physical nature of football, the first two questions popping up likely focus on injuries and games played in that follow-up season. 

In the case of Derrick Henry and Terrell Davis, that certainly was the case as both saw the greatest declines in games played and percentage drop in number of carries. 

Does this mean last season was the best we'll ever see from Barkley, based on the follow-up season of these eight running backs? No one knows. From the point of view of total rushing yards in one regular season, perhaps. But the majority of running backs in this group showed they could still be not only just productive but also dominant. Again, in the case of Henry, he nearly became the first repeat member of the 2,000-yard club last season.

And what about their post-2,000-yard seasons overall. Let's see how each of them did season-by-season afterward. Use the dropdown menu bar in the chart below to look at a particular running back or to compare several of them.