In the backfield, the Philadelphia Eagles are lacking depth heading into Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
During their Week 4 loss against the Los Angeles Rams, the Eagles went down two running backs. Saquon Barkley is on a week-to-week basis, while Tank Bigsby is guaranteed to miss at least four games.
With Barkley missing Wednesday’s practice, the Eagles are trending towards playing without him in London. Will Shipley was No. 3 on the depth chart, which could move him to No. 1, but the Eagles’ decision to elevate Dameon Pierce on Wednesday gives them more depth and another option.
5-Year NFL RB Gets Confident Statement From Eagles’ Nick Sirianni
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni addressed the media on Wednesday, and spoke on the decision to elevate Pierce over multiple running backs on the practice squad.
The fifth-year NFL running back landed a confident statement from the Super Bowl-winning head coach.
“He’s an NFL starting running back,” Sirianni said, according to The Athletic’s Zach Berman. “Maybe wouldn’t have said that when he was on our practice squad publicly, because of the fear of losing him. But he’s an NFL starting running back …Excited for his opportunity.”
Of course, Sirianni is expected to keep his outlook positive to instill confidence in the guy they are bringing up, but he does bring more experience to the table compared to Shipley.
Being in the NFL since 2022, Pierce has appeared in 43 NFL games. He was a starter for 20 of those games, logging 419 carries for a total of 1,684 yards.
While Pierce’s production with the Houston Texans regressed over time, he’ll get a chance to put that experience to work with the Eagles, barring any sudden changes.
If the backfield stays with Pierce and Shipley as the one-two punch, the workload probably won’t be lopsided. However, Sirianni’s comments suggest that Pierce could end up out-carrying Shipley, despite spending the first four weeks on the practice squad.
Time will ultimately tell, but the Eagles are moving forward confident in the addition of the 26-year-old veteran.