Heading into this season, the Philadelphia Eagles envisioned AJ Dillon and Will Shipley sharing the backup running back role behind Saquon Barkley. Dillon and Shipley are two entirely different running backs, so the idea of them carrying the workload didn’t sound far-fetched.
However, fast forward to Week 8, and Tank Bigsby, whom the Eagles acquired in a trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars in September, has assumed the RB2 role. In Sunday’s win over the New York Giants, Bigsby had a couple of explosive runs in relief of Barkley, which caught the attention of Eagles fans.
Bigsby’s first big run happened in the first quarter, as he ripped off an 18-yard run on the Eagles’ second offensive possession. Then, at the beginning of the final quarter, Bigsby weaved through the Giants’ defense for a 29-yard run on 2nd and 26.
The young running back ultimately finished the game with 104 yards on nine carries, giving the Eagles another reliable option that they hoped Dillon would become.
Tank Bigsby Puts AJ Dillon on Notice for RB2 Role Heading into Bye Week
Speaking of Dillon, the veteran running back didn’t receive a single carry in Sunday’s game after surprisingly being made inactive in Week 7. In fact, this was the first time this season that Dillon did not get a single carry or play one offensive snap.
Meanwhile, Bigsby took full advantage of the opportunity, running with conviction and showcasing his burst. And we can’t forget about Shipley, who didn’t do much on the ground (two yards), but still got three carries. However, he made up for it on special teams, which is something Dillon doesn’t do well, averaging 33 yards on three kick returns.
For all intents and purposes, the veteran running back was a healthy scratch, which is not a good sign for him going into the bye week. The hope was that Dillon would rebuild his value after missing all of last season with the Green Bay Packers due to a neck injury, but that hasn’t happened.
Instead, Bigsby, who was struggling on kick return duties when he first got to Philly, was given another chance to make a second impression, this time on offense, and showed the Eagles he might be their RB2.
We got a glimpse of this in Week 7 against the Vikings, but Bigsby only had one carry for 11 yards. If you’re Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, you hope that the 23-year-old Bigsby can remind folks why he was taken in the third round in 2023.
If, and it's a huge if, he can replicate what he did on Sunday against the Giants, the Eagles’ running game will be adding another explosive element for the second half.