During the offseason, we'll be taking a close look at Philadelphia Eagles players of interest who are currently on the roster but we may not know a lot about just yet. In this edition, we'll take a look at second-year running back Will Shipley.
PREVIOUS PLAYER REVIEWS
Because RB1 Saquon Barkley and RB2 Kenny Gainwell stayed healthy all season in 2024, Shipley didn't play much as a rookie. With the exception of one little backwards flare pass early in the Eagles' game against the Ravens, Shipley's touches in regular season games were limited to blowout wins, and the meaningless Week 18 game against the Giants.
In those games, he ran behind at least three backup offensive linemen with receivers like Ainias Smith, Johnny Wilson, and Parris Campbell on the field, and (mostly) either Kenny Pickett or Tanner McKee at quarterback.
The opposing defense typically kept their starters in, and everyone in the stadium knew the Eagles were just running the ball to kill clock. As such, Shipley's regular season stats weren't super impressive. He carried 30 times for 82 yards (2.7 YPC) and 0 TDs. His regular season game log:
| Will Shipley | Rush | Yards | YPC | TD |
| Giants | 8 | 15 | 1.9 | 0 |
| Bengals | 2 | -3 | -1.5 | 0 |
| Cowboys | 9 | 34 | 3.8 | 0 |
| Ravens | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 |
| Giants | 10 | 32 | 3.2 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 30 | 82 | 2.7 | 0 |
Shipley's job was basically, "Don't fumble," and well, mission accomplished, I guess. He did have one run that he sprung for a touchdown against the Bengals that was called back because of a Nick Gates hold.
You can see the hold by Gates (playing RG) here. Shipley probably didn't need it, as he was already running through the hole.
But that's an explosive run. He sees the hole, runs through some arm tackles, and powers his way into the end zone through two defensive backs.
Shipley's other notable rookie season runs were in the NFC Championship Game against the Commanders. With the game in hand, Shipley fought through the trash for a 16-yard run.
On the next play, he broke off a 57-yard run.
Shipley would have scored if he hadn't locked his left wrist with his right hand for added ball security. In an odd way, I found that to be a very encouraging act. The Eagles stress ball security, and one of their tenets is "wrist lock," as demonstrated by Gainwell in a banner that hangs in the Eagles auditorium, as shown below:
While Shipley probably should not have locked his wrist in that situation because it allowed the defender to catch him from behind, the fact that he did shows that he can take coaching and implement it in game situations. And at that part in the game, I imagine he was told by the coaching staff, "DO. NOT. FUMBLE."
Shipley then finished off that drive by getting low and burrowing in for his first career TD (that actually counted).
If you were to combine Shipley's regular season and postseason rushing stats — and also substitute his negated 17-yard TD run against the Bengals for an ensuing 4-yard loss — he had 34 carries for 180 yards (5.3 YPC) and 2 TDs.
Other notes
• Shipley did not get any targets in the passing game in 2024, aside from his appearance in the meaningless Week 18 against the Giants, again, because he otherwise only got touches in blowout situations. But in that Giants game, he caught 4 passes on 4 targets for 38 yards.
Here he gets wide open after a head/shoulder fake on a Texas route:
And he makes a guy miss after the catch here:
He also showed some elusiveness after the catch during the preseason (video via @BenBrownPL):
In three seasons at Clemson, Shipley had 85 catches. That's a part of his game.
• Even though his rushing numbers weren't impressive on paper in the blowouts he played in, I did think that he did a nice enough job of just plowing forward and getting what was there. There was no dancing in the backfield, and as noted above, his primary function was to simply not fumble.
• His most impactful play of the year came on special teams, when he forced a fumble in the NFC Championship Game:
He also averaged 28.8 yards per return on 6 kick returns. He brings added value as a core special teamer.
• Shipley declared for the 2024 draft after his true junior season. He's 22, and will turn 23 in August. He's younger than five of the players the Eagles selected in the 2025 draft.
2025 outlook
Barkley had a whopping 482 touches in 2024. That is not sustainable year-after-year, so the Eagles' RB2 should see more action in 2025.
Kenny Gainwell was one of Nick Sirianni's favorite players. He was a good culture guy, he didn't make egregious mistakes, and he had some tough runs to move the sticks. However, he was also not a big play threat in his four seasons with the Eagles. Including the playoffs, he had just five career runs of 20+ yards, and two career receptions of 20+ yards (they were both exactly 20 yards). His career long run was 32 yards.
In his rookie season, I thought that Shipley exhibited that he too can avoid egregious mistakes (i.e. fumbles), but he also showed that he can perhaps be more of a home run threat than Gainwell. Shipley has 4.39 speed, but he also runs with balance and is able to stack multiple cuts in succession to make defenders miss while continuing to move north and south.
Gainwell signed a one-year deal in free agency with the Steelers for a little under $1.8 million. If the Eagles wanted to keep him, Gainwell would not have been much of a financial burden. It feels to me like the Eagles think — and I agree — that Shipley can be an upgrade on Gainwell as the Eagles' RB2 / two-minute offense back in 2025.
We should also probably mention that the Eagles signed veteran A.J. Dillon in free agency, though he has injury concerns, having missed the entire 2024 season with a stinger, and is more of a short yardage back than a two-minute offense back.
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