Eagles RB depth chart: How Tank Bigsby trade impacts Saquon Barkley, Will Shipley in Philadelphia backfield

Howie Roseman has been wheeling and dealing throughout training camp and even as the 2025 NFL season begins.

The Philadelphia Eagles general manager, famous for his aggressive mentality and cap tactics en route to two Super Bowl wins, hasn't been fully satisfied with Philadelphia's 2025 roster in recent weeks. As the team has begun its quest to go back-to-back, Roseman has made six different trades since the start of training camp.

Cornerback Jakorian Bennett, wide receiver John Metchie III and quarterback Sam Howell are some of the players Roseman has acquired to improve the team's margins, but perhaps the most notable deal came between Weeks 1 and 2 of the regular season. Last week, the Eagles acquired RB Tank Bigsby in exchange for 2026 fifth- and sixth-round picks.

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The Eagles already have arguably the best running back in the league in Saquon Barkley, but the acquisition of Bigsby still has potential to impact the offense in other ways.

Here's a look at the Eagles' updated running back depth chart following the Bigsby trade.

MORE: How did the Tank Bigsby trade affect Travis Etienne and the Jaguars?

Eagles RB depth chart

Saquon Barkley

No, Barkley won't be forking over his starting role any time soon, of course. Fresh off a historic 2024 season in which he rushed for 2,005 yards, won Offensive Player of the Year and helped bring Philadelphia a Super Bowl before landing an extension, Barkley is in the NFL's elite tier of offensive weapons. As long as he's healthy, he'll be on the field a lot.

However, the addition of Bigsby, who is 23, does make for an intriguing insurance option to Barkley. Not only is Bigsby under team control through the 2026 season, but he proved during his time in Jacksonville that he's capable of steady production as an NFL back.

Should Barkley ever go down, Bigsby would be a capable replacement as a strong up-the-middle runner, even if Will Shipley earned the starting reps as a more multi-talented weapon. Really, the trade didn't affect Barkley at all, though. Barring injuries, Barkley should remain the Eagles' feature back for multiple seasons to come.

Will Shipley

The Eagles have made it known that even though Barkley is an obvious RB1, they like Shipley's skill set and he should see more reps in 2025 than he did as a rookie in 2024. The Bigsby trade complicates things a tad if that's going to happen, but the skills of Bigsby and Shipley would complement one another as a duo if Barkley ever misses time.

As a fourth-round rookie out of Clemson last season, Shipley posted 82 rushing yards and 35 receiving yards as Philadelphia's third-string option to Barkley and Kenneth Gainwell. The Eagles let Gainwell leave in free agency, clearing the path for Shipley to take on a larger role behind Barkley. 

When the Eagles made the trade for Bigsby, there was some speculation that it was related to Shipley leaving Philadelphia's Week 1 game with an injury. And additionally, Shipley is set to miss Week 2 with his oblique ailment. However, that is expected to be a minor injury, as there's been little word on the extent of it.

The Eagles are also reportedly primarily interested in Bigsby's skills as a kick returner, so it's no guarantee that the former Jaguar will eat into Shipley's top backup role. In Week 2, Bigsby does have a good shot of consistent backup running back snaps in Shipley's absence, and if the Eagles ever need a new running back to step in for a game in the future, both Shipley and Bigsby should see time.

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Tank Bigsby

Bigsby's immediate impact in Philadelphia will likely come as a kick returner. The Athletic's Brooks Kubena wrote that the team is "enamored with Bigsby’s ability as a kickoff returner," especially under the NFL's newer kickoff rules. Bigsby has 11 career kickoff returns for 314 yards.

Per Zach Berman, the Eagles labeled Bigsby as a RB/KR when they acquired him. So, especially as he adjusts to the offense, expect Bigsby to primarily be deployed as a kick returner. But that also doesn't mean that Bigsby won't factor more into the offense eventually, and especially in Shipley's Week 2 absence, he could get more snaps.

"We see a vision for the player, how we can use them, and the things that he can do, and the skill set that he has," Nick Sirianni said of Bigsby, per Zach Berman. "We really like the player and the things that he can do. He's a really good runner, and so excited to add that depth to this room."

New #Eagles RB Tank Bigsby. pic.twitter.com/AV1ldPvuZ5

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) September 10, 2025

As time goes on and the 23-year-old running back gets settled in Philadelphia, keep an eye on Bigsby's usage as a running back. He's already a viable backup option to Barkley, but the Eagles could even utilize Bigsby as a change-of-pace back to give their star some rest, especially given the fact they traded two draft picks to land Bigsby.

AJ Dillon

The player most negatively impacted by the trade was likely AJ Dillon. The former Packers back, who signed with Philadelphia in the offseason, has a much more limited path to playing time now.

Originally, the plan for the Eagles' running back room appeared to have Dillon slot in as an RB3 who would still see a few snaps each game, especially in short-range or goal line situations. Dillon scored 16 rushing touchdowns over his four years in Green Bay.

Bigsby can fill a similar role for the Eagles, and likely more efficiently, while adding in his kick returning speciality. Dillon did remain on Philadelphia's roster following the trade, so he's not completely removed from the picture, but a similar skill set and the fact that Bigsby is younger doesn't bode well for Dillon's outlook.

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Tank Bigsby stats

Here's a look at Bigsby's numbers over his three NFL seasons.