As the Philadelphia Eagles head into their bye following Sunday’s 18-point win over the New York Giants, they know who will be their RB2 going forward. It won’t be AJ Dillon; instead, it will be Tank Bigsby, who erupted for 104 yards on nine carries.
It was an unexpected performance from the 23-year-old running back, who was on thin ice with the fan base after his struggles on special teams. However, Bigsby has changed the narrative about himself and has carved out a role for himself.
While it’s great for the young running back, this isn’t good news for Dillon, who was active for Sunday’s game but did not see a single snap. And this was after Philadelphia made Dillon inactive for its Week 7 contest against the Minnesota Vikings.
Eagles RB AJ Dillon Suddenly on Thin Ice Heading into Week 9 Bye
When the Eagles signed Dillon to a one-year deal in the offseason, the hope was that he would become the RB2 or share the duties with second-year running back Will Shipley, as they saw Kenny Gainwell sign a one-year pact with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dillon missed all of last season with the Green Bay Packers due to a neck injury. However, when he’s healthy, the veteran running back is capable of being a bruising, downhill runner, which would be a nice complement to Barkley.
During his tenure with the Packers, the 27-year-old Dillon averaged 4.1 yards per carry, which is more than enough for an adequate RB2. In Philadelphia’s first six games of the regular season, Dillon didn’t get a lot of work, but averaged 5.0 yards per carry.
The most playing he saw was in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, where he recorded 19 yards on three carries on 10 offensive snaps. The trend in Dillon's snap counts through the first eight weeks of the season is obvious:
Week | Offensive Snaps | Special Teams Snaps |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (vs DAL) | 8 | 4 |
Week 2 (at KC) | 10 | 1 |
Week 3 (vs LAR) | 5 | 0 |
Week 4 (at TB) | 8 | 0 |
Week 5 (vs DEN) | 9 | 6 |
Week 6 ( at NYG) | 8 | 2 |
Week 7 (at MIN) | Inactive | Inactive |
Week 8 (vs NYG) | 0 | 0 |
The Eagles also used Dillon on kick returns, which is something he’s never done in the NFL, and it didn’t pan out. The veteran running back averaged 12.5 yards per kick return. In fact, the last time we saw Dillon on the field was in Week 6 against the New York Giants.
In that game, the veteran running back only had a two-yard rush, along with two receptions (two targets) for 18 yards and a fumble in the second half, which summed up the Eagles’ offensive performance and his tenure to date.
A running back of his caliber should be able to get more than three carries in a game, but the Eagles have thought otherwise to the point of going more towards Bigsby on Sunday, who provided another spark on the ground.
With all that being said, one has to wonder what the future holds for the veteran RB. He’s on a one-year deal, so it's not certain that the Eagles will re-sign him. Based on his production and the young duo of Bigsby/Shipley, the Eagles could decide to part ways.
What does that look like? No one knows one. It could be a release or a trade, as there are teams around the league looking for RBs ahead of the deadline. No matter the option, the veteran RB has hit rock bottom after looking poised to be the RB2 in the offseason.