Eagles have a secret weapon in Will Shipley (and the NFL isn't ready for him)

When the Eagles signed Saquon Barkley last offseason, the move naturally dominated headlines.

Barkley provided the home-run threat and a true centerpiece who demands defensive attention, leading the Eagles all the way to their second Super Bowl ring. Yet, as we sit at the cusp of Week 1, behind the 2024 OPOY sits a ballplayer primed to take advantage of secondary touches in Will Shipley. While Barkley remains the engine of the offense in Philadelphia, additional pop in the backfield is something head coach Nick Sirianni wouldn't mind one bit.

Shipley’s role may start in the shadows, but it could be pivotal this fall as Barkley enters 2025 after carrying the football over 400 times last year (playoffs included). As Herculean an athlete as Barkley is, wear and tear is indeed a real thing, and there's more than one ball-carrier rostered for a reason.

Shipley is ready to shine for the Eagles in 2025

At Clemson, Shipley built his reputation as a shifty, versatile runner who could flip the field with one cut. He’s not the downhill runner with the perimeter juice that Barkley is, but rather a space-creator.

In a Week 1 matchup where Dallas will be honed in on bottling Barkley up inside the tackles, Shipley’s ability to enter the game as a sudden burst of speed or as a receiver out of the backfield could be the exact wrinkle Philadelphia needs to keep Dallas, and new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, guessing.

One of Shipley’s most underrated traits is his polish as a pass catcher. He amassed 85 receptions across his collegiate career in Death Valley and was often split out wide, forcing linebackers into mismatches while further expanding the playbook.

The Eagles already boast one of the NFL’s most feared wideout tandems in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, with Dallas Goedert commanding attention at tight end. Add Shipley motioning into the slot or leaking out of the backfield, and suddenly QB Jalen Hurts has yet another outlet to hit with targets if teams want to overcommit downfield.

Philadelphia isn’t, and won't, ask Shipley to be a workhorse. His early touches will likely come in spurts, spelling Barkley and providing a change of pace. But that’s what makes him dangerous.

Defenses are conditioned to try and counter Barkley’s blend of power and burst, and may struggle to quickly adjust when Shipley checks in with a slightly different style. Think of the way the Eagles once deployed Darren Sproles: a weapon who didn’t need 15 touches to swing a game.

The Bigger Picture

For Shipley, Week 1 is just the start. Across the grind of a season, Barkley’s health and workload will be closely monitored, and the Eagles will need fresh legs they can trust.

Shipley’s versatility ensures he won’t just be a reserve -- he’ll be a designed part of the game plan. Newly minted offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has mentioned there will be "new things" to the offense, and one should expect him to craft specific packages highlighting Shipley's skill set, whether it’s wheel routes against linebackers, screens to counter Dallas’s pass rush, or wide-zone runs to stretch defenses laterally.

By the time Philadelphia’s opener against Dallas winds down, it wouldn’t be surprising if everyone is buzzing not only about Barkley, that's easy to do, but about how sharp Shipley looked behind him. The second-year back may not be the star of the show in Week 1, but his potential impact -- both immediately and across the season -- could make him one of the Eagles’ most intriguing weapons as they look to repeat.