Tank Bigsby’s job in Philadelphia may not come with headlines, but it comes with real weight.
The Eagles brought him in just after the first week of the regular season in a deal that sent a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick to land the running back and expected him to help as depth behind Saquon Barkley while also handling kick returns. By the end of the year, Bigsby had carved out something more valuable than a specialist’s tag: he became the kind of change-of-pace back who can jolt the offense when it needs a spark.
In 16 games with the Eagles, Bigsby ran 58 times for 344 yards and two touchdowns, good for 5.9 yards per carry. He also logged nine kick returns for 187 yards, averaging 20.3 yards per return.
His biggest impact came in bursts, especially when the Eagles were looking for a different gear on offense. That showed up most clearly in Week 8 against the New York Ginats, when he rushed nine times for 104 yards, an eye-popping 11.6 yards per carry.
The late-season stretch only strengthened that case. Bigsby finished with 39 carries for 176 yards and two touchdowns over the final four games, averaging 4.5 yards per carry.
The volume never got close to Barkley’s, and it never was going to with the Eagles paying Barkley $20.5 million a year. But Bigsby made the most of the touches that came his way.
That role matters even more heading into 2026. Barkley is 29 and entering his ninth season, and while he’s still in his prime, the Eagles need another back who can step in for a few plays and keep the offense moving.
Bigsby is that insurance policy. If Barkley has to miss time, Bigsby is the one who would be asked to absorb the load.
The good news for Philadelphia is that Barkley’s absences have been limited to the Week 18 decision to rest him when the team had little or nothing to play for in terms of playoff seeding. The Eagles are betting on Barkley staying on the field, and if that happens, Bigsby’s touches will remain limited. Still, the team knows exactly what it has in him: a runner who can fill the void without pretending to be Barkley.
Bigsby is also in the final year of his rookie contract and will make $1,485,399 this season. At 24, he’s already shown two teams that he can produce when given the chance, and that makes him a player with an eye on what comes next.
Could that next step come in Philadelphia? Not unless Barkley’s situation changes, or the Eagles decide this is Barkley’s last season because of his contract.
There’s also the question of fit. Bigsby thrived in Kevin Patullo's system, which was built around an inside zone running attack.
Sean Mannion will have some outside zone, and that doesn’t match Bigsby’s game as well. Even so, Bigsby showed a strong burst this spring and looks like he can still succeed in this setup.
Behind him, the Eagles have a fight for RB3, and Will Shipley is the front-runner over Dameon Pierce and Elijah Mitchell. Shipley should get chances as a receiver, and he’s also the primary kick returner, which could take some snaps away from Bigsby. Even so, Bigsby took the RB2 job from Shipley in the middle of last season and enters 2026 in that spot.
That combination of limited touches and important responsibility is why Bigsby landed at No. 25 on the Eagles on SI top-25 list, based on a final vote from publisher/editor Jeff Kerr, insider John McMullen, and writer Ed Kracz. He finished ahead of Dontayvion Wicks, Jonathan Jones, and Byron Young.
The ranking fits the role. The Eagles don’t need Bigsby to be Barkley.
They need him to be ready when Barkley comes off the field, and to run with the same edge he’s already shown. As Nick Sirianni said in January: "He runs hard.
He's got extremely good ability to make you miss, while also being able to put his shoulder down and finish off runs through contact," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said in January. "Those are some of the things that we value about him.
The way he walks through, the way he practices, it really does show up in the game with how hard he runs and how hard he plays."
That’s the kind of trust Bigsby has earned. And for the Eagles, the hope is simple: keep Barkley healthy, keep Bigsby ready, and let the depth piece do exactly what he was brought in to do.
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