All offseason long, the Philadelphia Eagles have generated a ton of hype for their second-string running back, Tank Bigsby.
Although Saquon Barkley is the clear-cut No. 1 back on the depth chart, the expectation was that Bigsby would get some more work this season, which would help Barkley save some miles.
After seeing Week 1 against the Washington Commanders play out, the Eagles made a head-scratching decision behind Barkley.
Where Was Tank Bigsby?
The veteran running back might be listed as the primary backup on the depth chart, but the Eagles didn’t treat him that way on Sunday.
When the game was all said and done–and the snap counts were revealed–Bigsby had the third-most snaps among running backs with eight. He trailed the homegrown prospect, Will Shipley, who had 10 snaps.
While neither back landed a ton of carries, Shipley still out-carried Bigsby 2-1.
Throughout the summer, Shipley was on notice as a possible cut candidate, as he struggled to stand out. Some solid preseason action, mixed with special teams value, saved Shipley a spot.
But it turns out that Shipley isn’t just a special teamer. The young veteran is getting some surprising looks early on.
While plenty can change after Week 1, the Eagles clearly placed more focus on simply getting the ball to Barkley as much as possible. The star rusher took on 15 carries for 83 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
Tank Bigsby’s Past
The 24-year-old has shown plenty of value in the past. Over four years, he’s got 51 appearances under his belt, including 16 games with the Eagles last year.
Bigsby has rushed for an average of 4.5 yards per attempt. Last year, he went for 5.9 yards per carry, totaling 344 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
The Eagles could be looking to get Saquon Barkley going early, before letting Bigsby start to take on some of his workload, but the plan is unclear currently. For the time being, the Eagles’ decision-making behind the Bigsby-Shipley situation is a real head-scratcher.