October 31, 2026
Eric Hartline/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Saquon Barkley is one of just three Eagles RBs available Sunday night against Washington, and he's playing through injuries.
How did the Eagles get to this point at running back? Maybe the question should be: Why did the Eagles get to this point?
On Sunday, they'll be at Northwest Stadium for a prime time showdown against the Commanders with just three active running backs, one of which is Saquon Barkley, who couldn't make it through Monday's game against against the Cowboys and missed almost all of practice this week because of a back injury that accompanied a nagging hamstring injury.
The hamstring kept him out Weeks 5 and 6. The back injury came about on his first carry against Dallas, a 29-yard run in which he got tripped up around midfield before going out of bounds and after that was visibly not the same.
Barkley only touched the ball seven more times for the rest of the game, and spent much of time either cheering on teammates or riding an exercise bike on the sideline.
After the game, Barkley told reporters that he didn't even want to break an explosive run because of fears that his hamstring would be aggravated, and said the back problem probably resulted from favoring his hamstring.
With Tank Bigsby, Will Shipley and Carson Steele already on injured reserve, Dameon Pierce and Elijah Mitchell handled most of the running game. But Pierce got hurt late in the game and this week joined Bigsby and Shipley on injured reserve, leaving the Eagles with a banged-up Barkley along with Mitchell and Jaydon Blue as their only options for Week 8.
The Eagles interestingly, or puzzlingly, left Barkley without a game status designation after he practiced in full Friday, the final practice before Sunday's game – not even questionable.
But in the locker room, Barkley told reporters, including our own Jimmy Kempski, that he would "hope so" to play against Washington and that he's still dealing with his injuries.
Saquon Barkley on playing vs. Commanders: "I would hope so."
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) October 30, 2026
Barkley didn't want to get into whether the back or hamstring is more of an issue. "Definitely dealing with some stuff, but working through it."
What did the Eagles do to fortify this group with short rest before Sunday night's clash with the Commanders?
Nothing. Literally, nothing.
Even with Barkley missing almost all of practice this week – he was listed as did not practice for Wednesday's walkthrough and then didn't practice Thursday – the team's only moves at the position was signing Blue from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and elevating Mitchell again from the practice squad.
Mitchell logged his first carries since 2023 (!) when he played against Dallas, and Blue has been active for one game this season but the former Cowboys fifth round pick has not yet appeared in a game for the Eagles.
"Guys are having a good week of preparation. Feel good about that room," coach Nick Sirianni said Friday when questioned about the RB depth, or lack thereof. "Obviously, we've been beat up in that room with injuries. But I feel good about the depth and the guys that we have.
"I was really excited about Elijah throughout camp, and then he got dinged up in camp. Always have liked Jaydon and the things that he can do, going back to watching him coming out of Texas."
Yep, he liked Blue so much that he gave him zero touches or snaps Week 6 against the Panthers, even as Pierce, the only ball carrier that day for the Birds, averaged 2.9 yards per carry.
The Eagles are either banking on Barkley to play much of the game against the Commanders, a curious gamble given the injuries Barkley is attempting to play through, or they think Mitchell and Blue are enough insurance to get them through the game, also curious given Mitchell's own injury history and Blue's inexperience.
In most cases, a team would have someone either signed to the practice squad or active roster by Wednesday to get in a few practices and get familiar with the offense. Howie Roseman just stood pat; the Eagles didn't even work out any running backs during the week.
Maybe the plan is to have Tanner McKee throw the ball upwards of 45 times again like he did in Week 6 against the Panthers, a blueprint that worked out terribly in a 25-14 loss.
Maybe they'll run the wildcat with third strong rookie QB Cole Payton if they get into another pinch.
Or hey, maybe they'll actually be OK with three running backs and won't have injuries. The way this season has gone, that's a major gamble.
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