Eagles Running Back Crisis Deepens: Only Two Healthy RBs as Barkley, Bigsby, Shipley All Sidelined

PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles’ running back room has been decimated to a degree rarely seen in the modern NFL, leaving the team with just two healthy backs on the active roster heading into a critical stretch of the season.

Saquon Barkley, the league’s leading rusher through four weeks, missed Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers with a hamstring injury. Tank Bigsby, signed in August to be the primary backup, landed on injured reserve last week. Will Shipley, the fourth-round rookie who had carved out a change-of-pace role, suffered a partial plantar fascia tear that could sideline him multiple weeks.

That leaves Dameon Pierce and Carson Steele — both acquired after the initial 53-man roster was set — as the only available options entering Week 6 against Carolina. Practice squad elevations Jaydon Blue and Ja’Quinden Jackson, signed Tuesday, provide emergency depth.

“Saquon is a unique talent. That’s indisputable,” quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion told reporters Tuesday. “There are things that he can do that there’s a very, very, very short list of people on the planet that can do.”

Mannion, who also serves as the team’s passing game coordinator, emphasized confidence in the remaining group while acknowledging the schematic adjustments required when Barkley sits. The Eagles’ offense has leaned heavily on Barkley’s ability to create yardage independently — he entered Week 5 averaging 5.8 yards per carry and 110 rushing yards per game, both tops among qualified runners.

Pierce, claimed off waivers from Houston in late August, has 1,606 career rushing yards over three seasons but averaged just 3.1 yards per carry last year. Steele, a UDFA from UCLA claimed from Kansas City’s practice squad in September, has yet to take an NFL regular-season snap. Blue went undrafted out of Texas in April; Jackson signed Tuesday after going undrafted from Utah.

The last time Philadelphia entered a game with this little proven backfield depth was 2021, when Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Jordan Howard all missed time simultaneously. The Eagles turned to practice squad call-ups Jason Huntley and Kerryon Johnson in a loss to the Raiders.

Barkley’s hamstring issue is considered week-to-week, though the team has not ruled him out for Sunday’s game against the 1-4 Panthers. Carolina ranks 28th in rush defense DVOA entering the weekend, potentially offering a softer landing spot for an inexperienced backfield if Barkley cannot go.

The Eagles (2-2) have lost two straight after a 2-0 start. Jalen Hurts has been pressured on 42% of dropbacks over the last three games, the league’s third-highest rate in that span, and the absence of Barkley’s threat in the run game has allowed defenses to pin their ears back.

Philadelphia also placed left tackle Jordan Mailata on IR with a hamstring injury Tuesday, further straining an offensive line that has used five different starting combinations in four games.