Saquon ‘needs things perfectly set up for him’

Bigsby, who will operate as the Eagles’ No. 2 back behind Saquon Barkley, had missed some practice time with the toe issue. He appears fully back well ahead of the team’s regular season opener against Washington. One of the most efficient rushers over the past two seasons with the Jaguars and Eagles, Bigsby should be drafted as a high-upside contingency option in case Barkley misses any time in 2026.

According to the Tredyffrin Township Police Department, Barkley’s home was broken into shortly after 5:00 AM EST on Saturday, but suspects had already left the location by the time authorities arrived. Barkley and his family were home at the time of the break-in but were thankfully unharmed. No arrests have been made at this time, and the incident remains under investigation. Barkley is expected to report to training camp next week.

Berman notes that Barkley had 136 targets in his final two seasons with the Giants compared to just 93 with the Eagles over the past two years, and adds that new OC Sean Mannion was teammates with Todd Gurley when Gurley averaged 84 targets in 2017 and 2018 with “a similar offensive scheme.” A.J. Brown’s absence will absolutely leave a target vacuum that Barkley could step into. If so, that would be a major boon for his fantasy prospects in 2026.

Mosher notes that Bigsby’s one-cut running style is a great fit for new OC Sean Mannion’s scheme, saying “there’s no question he excels at planting one foot in the ground to getting downhill quickly.” He believes Mannion would be “smart” to get Bigsby involved in short-yardage situations to give starting RB Saquon Barkley’s body some rest. We see the logic here, although adding another short-yardage ball carrier to the rotation could muddy up fantasy projections a tad. Regardless, Bigsby is looking like a high-end bench stash this season.

Under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, who will reportedly have “total authority” over the team’s offense, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles will have to learn an entirely new playbook predicated on the concepts that have made Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers and Sean McVay’s Rams two of the league’s most efficient offenses. This is very much in line with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie pledging in April that the team would implement “significant offensive changes” after a 2025 campaign in which they ranked 17th in EPA per play, in line with the Texans and Falcons. Depending on which version of the Shanny/McVay offense Mannion installs, Saquon Barkley could see more pass-game involvement while short-area pass catchers like Dallas Goedert and rookie Makai Lemon see plenty of looks from Hurts, who last year ranked 14th out of 45 qualifying quarterbacks in accuracy on short throws. In 2024, Hurts led all QBs in accuracy on attempts between 1-10 yards.

Under head coach Nick Sirianni and new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, a former NFL quarterback, Lurie said the Eagles would make the tweaks necessary to bounce back after a down 2025 campaign. “This year, it was really apparent to everybody, but especially I would say to our head coach that we were able and going to make some significant offensive changes that would get us back to being a championship-level offense,” Lurie said. “We have our own proprietary metrics and ways of measuring offensive and defensive performance, and our offense was not what we were either accustomed to or expected of.” The usually-efficient Philadelphia offense last season ranked 17th in EPA per play, behind teams like the Commanders and Giants. Jalen Hurts’ passing efficiency fell off big time, as the Eagles were 15th in adjusted yards per pass attempt, in line with the Falcons and Texans.

Mannion is expected to lean on run game coordinator and tight ends coach Ryan Mahaffey in installing a zone-blocking scheme reminiscent of the one used by the Shanahans and their acolytes over the decades. Eagles head coach Nick Sirriani said he expects Saquon Barkley — coming off a down 2025 season — to be “exceptional” in the team’s new rushing scheme. “He’s been highly productive in many of the schemes,” Sirianni said of Barkley, who had 28 rushes of more than ten yards in 2025 after having 46 such runs in 2024. The Eagles in 2025 used zone rushing concepts on 45 percent of their carries, the 13th lowest rate in the NFL. They were efficient with zone rushes, logging a 50 percent success rate, the tenth highest in the league.

After firing offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo following a mostly disastrous 2025 season, the Eagles should seek “a fresh set of eyes” to reevaluate the Philly offense and how it utilizes its skill position players, Murphy said. McDaniel, who designed and called plays for a Miami offense that ranked among the NFL’s most efficient from 2022 to 2024 — before the team’s 2025 collapse. Eagles players, including DeVonta Smith, said after the team’s Wild Card loss to the 49ers that the offensive scheme had not changed at all in recent years despite the Eagles shuffling through offensive coordinators. That suggests the problem lies with head coach Nick Sirianni. “Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie pride themselves on being ahead of the curve. They’d rather be a year early than a year late,” Murphy said. “Right now, it is getting late early. McDaniel or not, they need a new voice, an inventive mind, and a fresh set of eyes. Anybody else will end up right where Patullo is. And that’s not fair to anybody.”

Bigsby was not targeted in the passing game. Surprisingly acquired from the Jags following Week 1, Bigsby ended up easily surpassing Will Shipley as the Eagles’ No. 2 back, but it amounted to only 61 offensive touches. Bigsby did feature on special teams, but neither he nor Shipley made much of an impression behind Saquon Barkley. The Eagles’ No. 1 back isn’t going anywhere for 2026, but they might think about an upgrade in the No. 2 spot. Bigsby, who turns 24 in August, is heading into the final year of his rookie deal.

Coming off an historic 2024 season, Barkley was a 2025 mortal behind an Eagles’ offensive line that was nowhere near as good as we’ve grown accustomed to. He averaged 54 fewer rushing yards per game this season as he posted a replacement-level 4.1 yards per carry. Today was just his fourth 100-yard rushing effort of the year. Barkley did remain a net positive in terms of rush yards over expected, per NextGenStats. Although he is aging — 29 next month — Barkley could still easily “bounce back” next season if the Eagles’ blocking gets back closer to what we are used to seeing. He remains an RB1, if now more of a risk/reward option.