Tank Bigsby’s Breakout Performance Could Force Major Changes for Eagles
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Tank Bigsby of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Tank Bigsby broke out in a big way in the Philadelphia Eagles 38-20 Week 8 win over the New York Giants, finishing with nine carries for 104 yards (that’s a ridiculous 11.6 yards per carry).
With Saquon Barkley also going off for a 65-yard TD, finishing with 150 rushing yards and a receiving score, Bigsby’s surge very likely solidified him in the No. 2 role behind Barkley.
Bigsby arrived via trade in early September, but he hadn’t played much until this past Sunday. Entering Week 8, he had just one carry as an Eagle, but by night’s end he had his first 100-yard game with Philadelphia, which included a key conversion on 2nd-and-26.
“It’s clear Bigsby has passed A.J. Dillon and even Will Shipley on the depth chart and for good reason,”Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia wrote on October 26. “While Barkley is obviously still going to be the Eagles’ featured running back, Bigsby is a good candidate to spell him with some fresh legs the rest of the season.”
More on Why Tank Bigsby Will Likely Replace Will Shipley as RB2
GettyRB Tank Bigsby likely solidified his role as the Philadelphia Eagles’ RB2 ahead of Will Shipley.
The win over the Giants very likely crystallized the RB pecking order. Barkley is still the clear RB1 — Sunday was his first 100-yard game of 2025 and a reminder of why the offense runs through him — but Bigsby gave the Eagles exactly what they’ve lacked behind Saquon.
When you’ve struggled all year to run the ball the way Philly has, and then the ground game breaks out with 8.4 yards per carry — you’re likely going to roll with the group who led the breakout.
“I’m not surprised,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said about Bigsby’s big game, via Zangaro. “I just waited for him to have a breakout game. Just happened to be today. That boy’s hungry. Talk about hungry dogs. We always talk about hungry dogs run faster. Tank is a hungry dog.”
So, where does this leave Shipley?
Shipley missed time earlier this season with an oblique injury, and his role has mostly been situational: returns, perimeter packages, some third-down work. He’s still a nice downhill complement to Barkley, but Bigsby is likely the best fit for RB2 right now.
Barring injury, expect Tank to be the first backup behind Saquon when Philly returns from its bye.
Will A.J. Dillion Be Cut After Bigsby’s Breakout?
With Bigsby showing what he can do, Dillon’s status is now in serious question. Dillon was a healthy scratch Week 7, with the Eagles dressing Saquon, Shipley and Bigsby instead.
Dillon, who’s more a grinder with size, could remain game-plan dependent unless injuries or matchups dictate otherwise. He could stick around — but he could also find himself getting cut or traded if he no longer has a role.
After Week 8, the most probable rotation looks like Barkley as the bell cow, Bigsby as his backup and Shipley as the change-of-pace/third-down option.
For his part, Bigsby is just going with the flow and trying to make the most of his touches.
“Whenever you get an opportunity, whenever your number’s called, you just got to be ready in this league,” Bigsby said. “Just trying to be the best back I can be for my guys. Anything it is, just going out there and being the best person you can be.”
Stephen Jones Sends Bold Message on Cowboys’ Trade Deadline Plans
The Dallas Cowboys are all in on the 2025 NFL season. But they’ll also consider moving players off their roster to address areas of need.
Stephen Jones, the Cowboys executive vice president and CEO, addressed why the Cowboys would be considered both buyers and sellers ahead of the NFL Trade Deadline on Tuesday.
The Cowboys (3-4-1) are in second place in the NFC East and sit 2.5 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Eagles. They’re just 1.5 games back of the San Francisco 49ers for the final NFC playoff spot.
Dallas will host the Arizona Cardinals (2-5) on Monday Night Football mere hours before the 4 p.m. ET deadline.
Stephen Jones: ‘Sometimes Player For Player [Trades] Can Be Very Interesting’
The Cowboys have one of the best offenses in the NFL. They rank first in the NFL in passing-yards per game (263.8), second in yards per game (384.1) and points per game (30.8).
Yet, Dallas is middling due to its woeful defense. The Cowboys are 31st in the NFL in yards-against per game (404.6) and points-against per game (31.3) and have allowed at least 30 points in five of their eight games this season.
So Jones knows the Cowboys can use their strength on offense to potentially acquire defensive reinforcements.
“I think there’s a lot of things that go into us improving as a defense,” Jones told KTFM on Thursday. “If you can find a player that upgrades you, as I’ve always said, we’re always looking for that every year. Whether it’s by trade or whether it’s a player acquisition, it comes by a lot of shapes, forms and fashions.”
Cowboys fans may be incensed at the team’s scuffling defense, since the blockbuster Micah Parsons trade sapped the team of one of its most talented players. Still, according to Jones, there are deals to be made to improve.
“We have areas where we have depth, and sometimes player-for-player [trades] can be very interesting to us,” Jones said. “We’re also in consideration for giving up a player for us getting a pick and vice versa. It goes all ways.”
The Dallas Cowboys’ Game Against Arizona Is ‘A Big, Big Game’
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has never lost at AT&T Stadium, and Arizona has won three straight against Dallas dating back to 2020.
“What an amazing high-school career he had,” Jones said of Murray, who won three straight state championships while playing at Allen High School and also having a standout baseball career as well. “He’s just a competitor and a winner, and that’s our goal, to put that streak to an end. But I’m sure he’s going to have his competitive juices flowing coming back home to where all he won all those championships.”
Yet, the Cardinals have been struggling with five straight losses despite their minus-1 point differential. If the Cowboys have any illusions of making the playoffs in the much-improved NFC, Jones knows they’ll need to win at home — where they are 2-0-1 despite averaging 33 points per game.
“It’d be huge for us to get a win,” Jones said. “It’s a big, big game. I know it’s a big game for the Cardinals, but it’s a huge game for us as well.”
