The Eagles needed running back help, and they moved quickly to get it.
With Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby both sidelined, Philadelphia is suddenly thin enough at the position that Will Shipley was left as the lone healthy back. That made a roster addition more of a necessity than a luxury, and the team is reportedly turning to Dameon Pierce.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Eagles are elevating the former Houston Texans running back to the 53-man roster. Fowler reported: "The Eagles are elevating RB Dameon Pierce to the 53-man roster, per source," Fowler reports. "RB help needed due to injuries to Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby."
The timing lines up with a backfield that’s been hit hard. Bigsby is expected to miss at least four weeks, while Barkley is likely out at least for Week 5 and possibly another week or two after that. Philadelphia’s trip to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in London now comes with Shipley positioned to lead the touches, but Pierce gives the Eagles another body and another option.
Pierce, listed at 5-foot-10 and 215 pounds, already showed a little something during preseason with Philadelphia. He appeared in one game and logged four carries for 44 yards, a strong 11 yards per attempt. That’s the kind of depth piece the Eagles needed with the room suddenly stripped down.
His recent NFL work has been modest. Last season, Pierce split time between the Texans and Kansas City Chiefs and finished with 14 carries for 36 yards and no touchdowns.
In 2024 with Houston, he ran 40 times for 293 yards and two scores. The year before that, he totaled 145 carries for 415 yards and two touchdowns.
His biggest production came in 2022, when he posted 939 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 220 carries for Houston. He also added 30 catches on 39 targets for 165 yards and a receiving touchdown.
Pierce isn’t walking into a featured role, but the Eagles needed someone who could help stabilize the backfield. With injuries piling up, he at least gives Philadelphia some rushing insurance behind Shipley.
In Other News...
Justin Edwards Already Has A 76ers Roster Battle To Win
The 76ers preseason will offer one of the first real looks at how the teams reshaped roster might sort itself out on the wing, and Justin Edwards already has a competition worth watching. Philadelphia added two-way player Rayan Rupert this summer, giving the coaching staff another option to evaluate as it weighs fit, effort and versatility in a group that is still taking shape.
Rupert enters his fourth NBA season with a reputation built on athleticism and defensive potential, traits that can earn minutes quickly if the 76ers want more activity and pressure on that end of the floor. Edwards, meanwhile, brings a different appeal as a spot-up shooter, and the way the team chooses to play could end up deciding which skill set gets prioritized when the rotation starts to settle. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Nurse Pushes Back On Joel Embiid Report Drawing Attention
A report that briefly put Joel Embiid in the middle of an odd summer controversy has already been walked back, and now the 76ers are hearing from their own coach on it. New York Knicks broadcaster Mike Breen said LeBron James had reprimanded Embiid for being late to practice, only for James to deny it and prompt Breen to apologize and retract the claim. It was the kind of stray story that can travel quickly in the offseason, especially when it involves two of the leagues biggest names.
Nick Nurse made clear he was not buying into the noise, defending Embiid and saying he was surprised the report even surfaced. For Philadelphia, the larger point is less about a disputed anecdote than the reminder of how quickly outside chatter can attach itself to Embiid, whose every appearance and absence gets amplified. Nurses response offered a firm pushback from the Sixers side, even if the episode itself is already fading into the kind of messy, short-lived NBA rumor that tends to hang around just long enough to annoy everyone involved. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Brown Already Looks Like What The 76ers Were Missing
The first preseason look at Jaylen Brown gave the 76ers exactly the kind of offensive jolt they have been talking about. Against the Knicks, he quickly showed why his arrival matters so much for a roster that has too often leaned on Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to carry the scoring load, and why his rsum as a Finals MVP and top option in Boston carries real weight in Philadelphia.
Browns presence is about more than a hot start in a tune-up game. It is about giving the Sixers another player who can create pressure on the defense when the usual stars are accounted for, something that has been missing at times when the offense bogged down into predictable stretches. The bigger question now is how often that version of Brown shows up once the games start counting and the rotation tightens. [Read more 🡒]