In 2024, the Philadelphia Eagles had the best rushing attack in the NFL. While Saquon Barkley led the league in rushing with 2,005 yards, Philadelphia used other running backs sparingly. The running back who saw the most playing time besides Barkley was Kenneth Gainwell.
Gainwell was the Eagles' third-down back, which meant he did a mix of blocking, catching, and running. He excelled in this role, giving Eagles fans someone to cheer for when Barkley was off the field. That said, Philadelphia chose not to re-sign Gainwell this offseason, resulting in him signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Though the 26-year-old running back has impressed his new coaching staff this offseason, the Eagles won't miss him thanks to the emergence of Will Shipley during OTAs and mandatory minicamp.
Eagles Won't Miss Kenneth Gainwell in 2025
According to Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly, the Steelers are thrilled to have Gainwell. Kaboly said, "He hasn't been mentioned much since the signing. It was like, okay, one year {deal}. But they are thrilled to have this guy. They can see something in him that they think can help the offense."
Then, on a recent episode of The Standard on the Steelers' YouTube channel, Pittsburgh's offense coordinator, Arthur Smith, heaped praise on Gainwell. Smith said, " Kenneth Gainwell has a unique background with the position he played at Memphis. Some of the stuff they did with him in
Philadelphia."
He added, "He's not just a running back in the traditional sense. Really good space player, he runs sometimes receiver-like routes."
Each of these comments shouldn't be surprising to Eagles fans. During his time in Philadelphia, Gainwell proved he could do a bit of everything. During four seasons with the Eagles, the former Memphis Tiger back rushed for 1,185 yards on 280 carries and scored 12 touchdowns.
In addition to his ground numbers, he had 103 receptions on 138 targets for 721 yards and one touchdown. As a returner, Gainwell gained 612 yards on 27 returns. Despite losing a big-time role player, Philadelphia's running back room is still in great shape.
Second-year running back Will Shipley looks to take over for Gainwell. According to Ed Kracz of Eagles on SI, Shipley made some nice catches over the middle of the field during OTAs. While evaluating him as a runner, we will have to wait until the pads come on in training camp, but he showed flashes of ability last season.
During the 2024 playoffs, Shipley broke off a 57-yard run in the NFC Championship against the Washington Commanders. Although this was after the Eagles already had the game in hand, it's still impressive since the Commanders' starters were still in the game.
More importantly, Shipley’s skill set mirrors Gainwell’s. During three seasons at Clemson, Shipley gad 2,747 rushing yards,602 receiving yards and 904 return tards. If he continues to develop, he will turn into just as valuable an asset as Gainwell.
Even though Eagles fans wish nothing but the best for Gainwell, they should be excited for what Shipley has to offer in 2025 and beyond.