Everyone knows what the top of the Eagles’ depth chart looks like at running back. Saquon Barkley will be the indubitable No. 1 option. No ifs, ands, buts, or Gainwells about it.
The electrifying Barkley can do it all on the football field: run, block, catch, plus the Eagles don’t normally hand out three-year contracts worth $37.75 million (including $26 million guaranteed) to backups. He’s a three-down back who will use a gargantuan-sized spatula to eat, eat, eat. Don’t look for the two-time Pro Bowler to see many snaps (if any) in the preseason. Barkley was signed to put a new “push” in the Kelce-free “tush” — and, good thing for Eagles fans, he feels as good as he did in 2018.
“I feel like a rookie all over again,” Barkley told reporters on March 14. “I feel like I’m a special player and I feel I’ve still got a lot left and I’ve got a lot to prove, and I just can’t wait to get on the field with those guys and prove it and show it to the world.”
So, the microscope lens in the backfield slides over to the guys at the end of the bench. Kenny Gainwell oddly vultured snaps from last year’s starter D’Andre Swift, but that likely won’t be the case in 2024. There’s a chance Gainwell could lose his grip on the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Let’s take a look …
Kenny Gainwell
He’s the clear-cut favorite to reprise his backup role after a career-high 364 rushing yards last year. Gainwell provided a handful of highlight-reel plays — ducking, weaving, flying inside the red zone — but never really lived up to the expectations lofted on him after his breakout 2022 playoff run. He’s not a feature back. He’ll probably never see a Pro Bowl. However, the shifty runner can make people miss in tight space and switch up the pace on third down. It’ll be his job to lose at training camp.
Will Shipley
The fourth-round pick turned heads at a minicamp practice, showing off his great hands when he made a sliding grab down the right sideline. Remember, he was a jack-of-all trades at Clemson: 2,747 yards and 31 TDs on 526 rushing attempts, along with 602 yards and two TDs on 85 receptions over 36 career games, while racking up 4,253 all-purpose yards when you tack on his kick returns. Shipley wasn’t drafted that high to sit on the bench. The rookie will see the field and compete for snaps. Bank on that.
Lew Nichols
The former Packer spent several weeks on the Eagles’ practice squad in 2023 before inking a futures contract in January. He never got to put the pads on for real. Yet there is enough interesting tape out there — Nichols led the country with 1,710 yards on 311 carries in 2021 at Central Michigan — to give at least one analyst “LeGarrette Blount vibes.” Listed at 5-foot-10, 220 pounds, his size should only add to the intrigue around him.
Tyrion Davis-Price
Another player on a futures contract with the Eagles, Davis-Price brings enviable credentials including a national championship ring from his LSU days. The hype was real coming out of college, with the hated San Francisco 49ers spending a third-round pick on him. It would certainly be fuel for the rivalry if the Eagles could turn their charcoal brick into 14-carat gold. Time will tell.
Kendall Milton
Howie Roseman keeps digging into that Georgia pipeline, looking to pluck more sweet nectar off that juicy peach tree. Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent, Milton rushed for 790 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. He’s built like a steel tank (6-foot-1, 232 pounds) but one agile enough and quick enough to maneuver tight border crossings as evidenced by his 4.62 40-yard dash time. Milton’s aggressive style could turn him into a valuable weapon at the goal line.
How will the Eagles RB depth chart pan out after Saquon?
AP Photo/Chris Szagola
