Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley appears to always get all the attention from the media and fan base. While there's good reason to be, his backup might need to start getting talked about more.
Will Shipley is taking over the Kenneth Gainwell as the backup behind Barkley. Shipley has also had to deal with the new addition of A.J. Dillon right behind him on the depth chart.
NBC Sports Philadelphia Eagles reporter Dave Zangaro shared his observations from Tuesday's training camp, noting how Shipley's role in this offense is starting to take shape.
"Will Shipley caught a pass from Jalen Hurts on four straight plays. While Shipley is still improving in other areas of his game, he is clearly very good at catching passes out of the backfield and that should be his role in 2025. He could be the guy in 2-minute drills, sort of like how Kenny Gainwell was used last year."
Shipley shouldn't be overlook in his running abilities
Most in the media like to focus on the fact that Shipley is going to play a critical role in the passing game. It's easy to see that as Shipley and Dillon have both shown at training camp and preseason to have good hands for running backs. That will come in handy on third down passing situations.
What isn't as often discussed is how much better Shipley has gotten as a runner. He showed great vision and speed in the Bengals' preseason game two weeks ago, where he ran for 48 yards. Most of that was done by a 38-yard doozy of a run early in the first quarter.
Barkley can do it all, from catching out of the backfield to being a home run hitter. Shipley is more similar than some might think. There's more development needed for consistency, but Shipley possesses those same traits.
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Eagles fans should be excited to see Shipley play a bigger role in this offense entering the 2025 season. He has the potential to be a great one-two punch with Barkley and could be the next man up when Barkley retires.