Eagles RB Named Philly’s Top Trade Candidate Heading Into Deadline
The Philadelphia Eagles might soon have more running backs than touches to go around, and A.J. Dillon’s name is quietly surfacing as a potential trade candidate before the 2025 deadline.
Philadelphia’s 38–20 victory over the New York Giants in Week 8 gave the league a glimpse of what the Eagles’ backfield could look like moving forward. New addition Tank Bigsby, who had just one carry before Sunday, erupted for 104 yards on nine attempts — that’s an eye-opening 11.6 yards per carry — while Saquon Barkley added 150 yards and a receiving touchdown.
The performance likely settled any lingering questions about Bigsby’s place in the rotation — he’s RB2 now — and it may have also made Dillon expendable, as ESPN named Dillon the team’s top trade candidate.
“Tank Bigsby’s emergence in recent weeks (he rushed for over 100 yards against the Giants after Philly traded for himin September) has pushed Dillon down to fourth on the depth chart behind Saquon Barkley, Bigsby and Will Shipley,” Tim McManus of ESPN wrote on October 29. “Dillon has been solid for Philadelphia this season, but there’s not much of a role for him currently.”
More on Why the Philadelphia Eagles Could Trade RB A.J. Dillon After Tank Bigsby’s Breakout
Through Week 8, Dillon has just 12 carries for 60 yards and two receptions for 18 more. His touches have been sporadic, spread across a handful of appearances — three carries here, a catch there — with no touchdowns to show for it. He’s healthy now, but his role in the offense has yet to materialize in a meaningful way.
Health, of course, has been a storyline for Dillon since he missed the entire 2024 season with a neck injury. Once one of the league’s more promising power backs in Green Bay, he joined the Eagles in March on a one-year deal worth roughly $1.34 million, including $167,500 guaranteed. Dillon has held up physically this fall, but opportunity may soon dry up behind Barkley, Bigsby and Will Shipley.
Barkley is entrenched as the starter, Bigsby just had a 100-yard game and Dillon is an unrestricted free agent after the season. With Shipley also waiting in the wings, it makes sense to see if another club is willing to take a flier on the 247-pound veteran.
The return would be paltry — likely a seventh-rounder — but it’s better than nothing.
Which Teams Might Be Interested in Adding Dillon?
There are several teams who could use reinforcements in their respective RB rooms. The Los Angeles Chargers, for instance, lost Najee Harris to a season-ending Achilles injury and placed first-round pick Omarion Hampton on injured reserve earlier this month. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh has been rotating backs from the practice squad, but Dillon’s physical style could help.
The Kansas City Chiefs are another team worth considering. With Isiah Pacheco expected to miss the upcoming matchup against the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs could be in the market for a temporary reinforcement — particularly one who won’t require financial strings beyond this season. Dillon meets that criteria.
The Chicago Bears are another option. They currently have former Eagle D’Andre Swift leading the backfield, but they could use some depth at RB, as well.
For Dillon, a change of scenery might also be welcomed at this point. He averaged 4.1 yards per carry during his years with the Packers, and he’s still capable of contributing somewhere. Based on what Bigsby is showing, though, Dillon may have to contribute somewhere else.
Colts resurgence has one gigantic red flag nobody’s talking about
There are a few reasons why the Colts are still fighting for respect despite their record.
It is really simple: the Colts are red hot. A 7–1 record, one of the best offenses in football, all while resurrecting a quarterback once labeled as a bust — it’s a lot to get done in one year. However, what should we make of a team that last made the AFC Championship Game in 2015? A year in which their star running back was still in high school, and their oldest player, long snapper Luke Rhodes, was still in college. How are we to view contenders when their institutional knowledge of winning is virtually nonexistent?
The odd thing is this isn’t only found in this Colts team. The top four teams in the AFC halfway through the year haven’t seen sustained playoff success in recent memory, and many haven’t been to the playoffs in some time.
At the top are the Colts, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2020. Then the Patriots, who haven’t won a playoff game since 2018. The Broncos, who haven’t won a playoff game since 2015. And finally, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have lost in the Wild Card or missed the playoffs every year since 2020.
Obviously, you can’t be a winner until you start winning, so I want to stay away from “moving the goalposts” simply because a poor team last season is winning this year. To think, though, that an 8–9 Colts team from 2024 would be 7–1 in 2025 would have been difficult for anyone to believe this summer during OTAs.
There are a few reasons why the Colts are still fighting for respect despite their record.
So, what should we believe? As Chiefs fans, we’ve seen the end of Brady and the Patriots’ chokehold on the conference, and we have seen over the years the resurgence of teams like the Titans, Bengals, Bills, Ravens, and Dolphins as potential standard-bearers of the AFC. What makes this Colts team different, for good or bad?
First of all, the running game sets the Colts apart. Jonathan Taylor is a nightmare, and a good run game has historically made for a well-rounded offense and is difficult to stop in the postseason. Compiling 850 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns through eight weeks is an outstanding start and something to be fearful of with the Colts moving forward. Averaging three rushing yards before contact, Taylor benefits from a great offensive line to open lanes for him. A consistent run game makes life easy for both Daniel Jones in the passing game and for the Colts defense, staying off the field.
A better-than-average defense has kept the Colts’ opponents at bay. Ranked 23rd in yards allowed, the Colts are letting teams move the ball all over them. However, they’re ranked 6th in points allowed, meaning they hold their opponents to field goals or they force turnovers, in which they are also ranked 3rd. It is worth noting that the Colts allow almost as many first downs on defense as their offense picks up, but they find a way to get off the field. Whether this defense finds sustained success in the second half of the season remains to be seen.
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, a more than ideal schedule. The only teams the Colts have played that are above .500 are the Broncos, Rams, and Chargers. The rest of the opponents they have played are a combined 7–23 through the first eight weeks of the season. Hard to see a team underperforming when they have had opponents like the Colts have thus far in 2025.
With a remaining schedule that includes bouts against Kansas City, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, and Seattle, it seems improbable that this Colts team maintains a single blemish on their record throughout the second half. Moving forward, we will most definitely see a Colts team that will be challenged, and how they respond will be the true test of whether this team is as good as it seems.
