The Philadelphia Eagles have an interesting situation in their backfield for the 2026 season that might not be talked about as much as it should be.
Eagles running back Tank Bigsby was a nice surprise for the team last year after the team traded for him prior to Week 2. Bigsby was originally brought in to help out on kickoff return with some struggles from Will Shipley and A.J. Dillon, but even he struggled, causing some to question why general manager Howie Roseman traded for him. To everyone's shock, Bigsby ended up being quite the weapon on offense, with 58 carries for 344 yards and two touchdowns, averaging a staggering 5.8 yards per carry.
No one saw it coming, but Eagles fans were calling for the team to give him more carries the rest of the 2025 season. Unfortunately, it just never happened. 2026, though, could be a very different story for Bigsby with Kevin Patullo out as offensive coordinator and Sean Mannion taking over; but more importantly, it's a crucial year for Bigsby in his NFL career.
Big year for Tank Bigsby and the Eagles with deciding his future
Bigsby enters the 2026 season as the clear-cut backup to star running back Saquon Barkley. The hope is that he will be more involved in the running game, take some of the load off Barkley, and really show off his big-play potential.
An interesting aspect of this year for Bigsby is that he is in the final year of his contract with the Eagles. That means he might be auditioning to fight for a starting job elsewhere in the offseason, or force a decision by the Eagles to bring him back.
Most Eagles fans would think that if Bigsby gets more carries in 2026 and continues the consistency of 5.9 yards per carry, he will be collecting a big paycheck from another team. While this could very much happen, Roseman might have a big decision to make with him.
Barkley declined big time in 2025 as his rushing yards went from over 2,000 yards in 2024 to over 1,100 in 2025. If the Eagles see another decline in Barkley, it might open the door for the team to consider re-signing Bigsby and making him the full-time starter. With Barkley having a big contract, the Eagles might have to think about not paying him that kind of money beyond 2026.
Shipley does not look like he will ever be a starting-caliber running back. As for the other running backs on the roster, they are not guaranteed a spot on the team, so there's no point in looking at their futures at the moment.
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Bigsby being the featured back in 2027 is not completely out of the question for the Philadelphia Eagles, depending on what happens with Barkley. The team has already seen that Bigsby can get the job done, so why not consider it?
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