Saquon Barkley's stinger injury in the Philadelphia Eagles' Week 2 win over the Tennessee Titans showed that Tank Bigsby has potential, as long as he has some help.
Bigsby demonstrated a lot of what Eagles fans loved about him last year during the Titans game. He showed that he can run hard and isn't afraid of contact. Bigsby finished with 13 carries for 33 yards and one touchdown, plus two receptions for five yards.
All the signs point to Bigsby being great, but the Eagles have to help him out if he needs to fill in for Barkley. The questions are: What is the issue, and how can the Eagles fix it?
Evidence that Tank Bigsby can be great for Eagles are Saquon Barkley's potential replacement
It's hard to say how serious Barkley's injury is, but he tried to come back in the Titans game and just couldn't be effective. With this in the back of the Eagles' minds, they need to consider either sitting him for Bigsby and Will Shipley or rotating backs more often.
This is the opportunity for the Eagles to let Bigsby loose and run finally. Last year, this guy averaged 5.9 yards per carry, showing that with the right circumstances, he can be elite in the NFL.
Throughout the 2025 season, Bigsby showed he can get that burst of speed when the lanes open up. He is also willing to run defenders over to gain extra yards.
What are the Eagles dealing with that could hold back Tank Bigsby?
Bigsby and Shipley's biggest issue in the Titans game was that the offensive line struggled to create any open lanes. During the contest, Bigsby averaged 2.5 yards per carry, and Shipley had only 3.4 yards per carry.
Philly is dealing with issues on the offensive line, with Landon Dickerson on IR with a knee injury. The Eagles changed the lineup, with Drew Kendall at center and Cam Jurgens at left guard. It didn't work, as both guys struggled in their roles.
Without that consistency on the offensive line, the running game is doomed from the start. It won't matter if Shipley or Bigsby can do anything on the ground.
Solution to get this Eagles offense rolling with Tank Bigsby in Week 3
For the Eagles, they need to stick with the starting offensive line they've built. There may be temptation to move Jurgens back to center and have Kendall start at left guard. That will make things worse, so don't do that and let them ride it out in their roles.
What could help the Eagles, though, is avoiding screen passes to Makai Lemon and doing more with Bigsby and Shipley. They tried that in Tennessee, and it didn't work, but an extra week of practice should help them improve that.
The Eagles also need to run more zone plays to the right. Getting Bigsby to run behind Lane Johnson is the better option right now.
Also, more RPO calls with Jalen Hurts could help open up the running game. There haven't been as many QB-designed runs, but adding Hurts to the mix could help their running game.
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Bigsby can be great in this offense, but offensive coordinator Sean Mannion needs to get more creative with the play calling and get his back on the board. Whether that happens in Week 3 against the Bears remains to be seen.
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