It doesn’t get much bigger than this for the Dallas Cowboys. At 2-4, the Cowboys need every divisional matchup, and the next one comes against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.

The problem? Philadelphia is getting a major reinforcement. Star running back Saquon Barkley will return to practice Thursday, the Eagles’ first practice of the week, and he’s in line to play Monday against the Cowboys, according to NFL insider Mike Garafolo.

That’s a big deal for an Eagles offense that has been running on fumes.

Eagles running back room hit rock bottom

Philadelphia scored just 14 points against the Carolina Panthers last weekend. With Barkley out, the Eagles were down to Damien Pierce, who carried the ball 12 times for 35 yards.

And Barkley wasn’t the only absence. Backup running back Tank Bingsby landed on injured reserve and remains there. So does Will Shipley, the team’s No. 3 running back at the start of the season. The Eagles even signed former Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue to the 53-man roster last week but has since been waived.

That’s how thin it got.

Getting Barkley back matters even more given the quarterback situation. Philadelphia placed Jalen Hurts on injured reserve earlier in the year due to blood clots, which leaves the offense in the hands of backup Tanner McKee.

Barkley alone won’t fix this offense

Here’s the thing about Barkley’s return: It doesn’t solve every problem for an offense that has been searching for answers since last year.

Barkley played in each of the first four weeks, but only two of those games featured him as a real part of the offense. He combined for six carries in the other two. When he was fully involved, he produced. He ran for 83 yards in a dramatic 24-22 win in the opener and added 82 yards against the Chicago Bears in a 27-7 loss.

So how did the Eagles look as an offense with Barkley (and Hurts) on the field? Not good.

Through the first four weeks, Philadelphia ranked 29th in EPA per play and 30th in success rate, per Sumer Sports. The ground game was better, but not by much. The Eagles ranked 17th in EPA per rush and 21st in rushing success rate.

That is to say, Barkley makes this offense better. He doesn’t make it a juggernaut.

No excuses for the Cowboys defense

For the Cowboys defense, there’s no excuse in this one. McKee is talented and knows the Eagles offense well, but he’s still a backup quarterback. Dallas has to take advantage of that.

To be fair, the Cowboys didn’t quite do that against Jalen Daniels and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5. As fans have painfully learned by now, nothing is guaranteed when it comes to the Dallas defense. 

Now, the Cowboys should have some reinforcements of its own, though it will be without linebacker Dee Winters for some time, according to head coach Brian Schottenheimer. I wouldn’t expect Winters, who recorded his first interception of the season last Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers, to play. 

The Cowboys are expected to get DeMarvion Overshown back at linebacker, where he’d join Jaishawn Barham. That should be considered an upgrade. The concern, as always, is whether Overshown can stay healthy.

Dallas is also expected to get cornerback Cobie Durant back. That could lead to some difficult conversations, including the possibility of benching DaRon Bland, who has played 98 percent of the snaps so far.

Keep an eye on that one. At 2-4, the Cowboys need every edge they can find, and a backup quarterback on the other side is exactly the kind of opening Dallas has to cash in on.