Eagles 2025 Position Group Report Cards: Running Backs

After a historic 2024 campaign that saw the Eagles set a franchise record with 3,048 rushing yards, the running back room faced sky-high expectations heading into 2025. What Philadelphia got was a mixed bag — still productive, still dangerous, but undeniably a step back from the standard Saquon Barkley set during his 2,000-yard debut season in midnight green.

Let's break down every back who contributed this season.

Saquon Barkley: The Inevitable Regression

Nobody runs for 2,005 yards on 345 carries and comes back the next season at the same level. Nobody. And Barkley didn't. His 2025 line — 280 carries, 1,140 yards, 7 touchdowns, 4.1 yards per carry — reads like a disappointment only because of the absurd bar he set in 2024.

Context matters here. Barkley dealt with heavier defensive attention all season. Coordinators game-planned specifically to take away the outside runs that fueled his breakout year. The offensive line, while still elite, didn't dominate the way it did during the 2024 stretch run. And Barkley himself looked a half-step slower at times — the natural toll of 378 touches the previous season catching up to a 28-year-old body.

Still, 1,140 yards is nothing to dismiss. That's a Pro Bowl-caliber season for most backs in the league. The problem is Barkley isn't most backs, and the Eagles aren't paying him to be average. His yards per carry dropped from 5.8 to 4.1 — a massive decline that exposed how much of his 2024 production came from explosive plays rather than consistent grinding.

The biggest concern? His late-season fade. Barkley averaged just 3.6 yards per carry over the final five weeks of the regular season, and he was largely bottled up in the Wild Card loss to San Francisco. When the Eagles needed their star back to take over, he couldn't find the holes.

Grade: C+

Kenneth Gainwell: The Breakout Nobody Expected

If there's a silver lining in this backfield, it's Kenneth Gainwell's career year. The fourth-year back out of Memphis finally put it all together in 2025, rushing for 537 yards and 5 touchdowns on 114 carries at 4.7 yards per carry — better efficiency than Barkley. But it was his receiving work that turned heads: 73 catches for 486 yards and 3 touchdowns on 85 targets.

That receiving production made Gainwell one of the most valuable third-down backs in the NFL. His 73 receptions were the most by an Eagles running back since Brian Westbrook's prime, and he became a legitimate weapon in Kellen Moore's passing game. Screen passes, wheel routes, check-downs — Gainwell ran them all with confidence and vision.

He also handled kickoff return duties, adding 633 return yards to round out a versatile season. The only blemish was two fumbles, one of which he lost, but the overall body of work was impressive enough that Gainwell earned himself a significant payday in free agency.

Playing on a one-year deal, Gainwell bet on himself and won. Whether the Eagles bring him back at his new market value is one of the biggest decisions Howie Roseman faces this offseason.

Grade: B+

Will Shipley: Still Waiting for His Moment

The 2024 fourth-round pick out of Clemson had a frustrating sophomore season. In 15 games, Shipley managed just 14 rushing attempts — not a typo — as the Eagles clearly didn't trust him with meaningful carries behind Barkley and Gainwell.

That's a concern for a player who was supposed to develop into the future complement or eventual successor to Barkley. Shipley showed flashes in the preseason and had a nice 38-yard burst early in the year, but opportunities dried up fast. He couldn't carve out a role on special teams or in the passing game, and his lack of involvement raises real questions about his long-term fit in Philadelphia.

Shipley is still just 23 years old and has the talent to contribute. But the Eagles need to see growth in Year 3, or this pick starts looking like a miss.

Grade: D+

Overall Position Group Assessment

The Eagles rushed for fewer yards in 2025 than 2024 — no surprise given the historic nature of last season — but the backfield still ranked in the top third of the league. The problem wasn't volume. It was efficiency and explosiveness.

Barkley's regression was predictable but still painful. The Eagles built their entire offensive identity around the run game, and when Barkley couldn't consistently create big plays, the offense became more one-dimensional than it wanted to be. That showed up in the playoff loss, where San Francisco stacked the box and dared Jalen Hurts to beat them through the air.

Gainwell's emergence partially offset Barkley's decline and gives the Eagles options going forward. If Gainwell walks in free agency, the Eagles need to find a similar pass-catching complement — you can't run Barkley into the ground again and expect him to hold up for a playoff run.

The Shipley situation needs resolution. Either develop him or move on. Roster spots are too valuable for a running back who can't crack 15 carries in a full season.

Looking ahead to 2026, the running back room needs a clearer identity. Is this Barkley's backfield exclusively, or are the Eagles ready to transition to a more committee approach? That answer will shape the entire offensive philosophy.

Overall Position Group Grade: B-

This is Part 2 of a 10-part series grading every Eagles position group from the 2025 season. Part 1 covered the Quarterback position.