Man, talk about a nightmare. Will Shipley might be out for weeks with a partial tear in his plantar fascia, and for the Eagles, that is just the latest gut punch in a season that’s already spinning. This team is absolutely reeling from injuries, especially in the running back room, and honestly, across the entire roster.
Who’s Left in the Backfield?
Shipley started Sunday’s eventual 19-16 loss to the Jaguars in London because Saquon Barkley was already battling a hamstring injury and Tank Bigsby underwent surgery for a core muscle injury. Bigsby is on IR, so he is out for at least three more games. Barkley was considered “week-to-week” after getting hurt in Week 4 against the Rams, and he hasn’t even hit IR. So, who is left? Right now, the Eagles have Dameon Pierce and Carson Steele on the active roster. Both of those guys were signed from the practice squad just last week, and now they might be carrying the load. Jaydon Blue, a former Cowboys fifth-round pick, is also lurking on the practice squad.
The situation is just dire, no matter who is toting the rock. Shipley, in only his second career start, managed five carries for six yards and a touchdown before he had to exit. Pierce did not do much better, running 11 times for 14 yards. Even Jalen Hurts got in on the action with two rushes for two yards. Overall, the Eagles ran the ball 18 times for a measly 22 yards. That 1.2 yards per carry total was their second-worst of the entire 21st century. Yikes.
And It Gets Worse…
This backfield chaos is just one piece of a totally tumultuous week for Philadelphia. They had Lane Johnson retire, and then they traded Cam Jurgens to the Ravens. Think about that for a second. On Sunday, the only Week 1 starter left on that offensive line was left tackle Jordan Mailata. Seriously.
And if you thought that was bad, wait until you hear about how they lost to the Jaguars. The Eagles blew a lead in the final eight seconds! Nick Sirianni’s decision to give the Jaguars a returnable kick after Jake Elliott put Philly ahead was just brutal. Ameer Abdullah ripped off a 53-yard kickoff return, and with one second left on the clock, Cam Little nailed a 57-yard field goal to seal the win for Jacksonville. Sirianni took the blame, saying, “I didn’t make the right decision, and I lost us that game, and that’s what I said to our guys, and what hurts there is that the guys fought so hard and then I don’t make the decision that I should make at the end of the game and I cost us that game. I put that fully on me.”
The Eagles are now sitting at a disappointing 2-3. They are ranked 30th in yards per play this year and are leading the league in three-and-out rate. Injuries are absolutely crippling them. Beyond the running backs, DeVonta Smith has missed Weeks 4-5 with a hamstring, Landon Dickerson went on IR after Week 1 with a knee injury, Drew Kendall missed Week 5 with a knee, Dallas Goedert missed Weeks 3-4 with a knee, and Marquise Brown has been out Weeks 3-5 with an ankle. If Barkley continues to miss time, and let’s be real, hamstrings are notoriously tricky, then Dameon Pierce is going to be first in line to try and salvage something from this mess. What a spot to be in for the Eagles.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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