Eagles Trade for Tank Bigsby: What Does It Mean?
Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman simply cannot stop making moves. After signing EDGE Za’Darius Smith following Philadelphia’s victory in Week 1, Roseman has made another trade.
The Eagles have officially traded a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for RB Tank Bigsby. Following a regime change in Jacksonville, Bigsby fell to RB3 on the team’s depth chart and is now headed to Philadelphia.
Bigsby showcased his potential in 2024, as he rushed for 766 yards and seven touchdowns. He also showed flashes as a kick returner during his time with the Jaguars. Bigsby averaged 28.5 yards per kick return on 11 attempts in Jacksonville.
Eagles second-year RB Will Shipley suffered a rib injury on special teams in Week 1. Shipley was slated to be the team’s primary kick returner and also serve a considerable role on Philadelphia’s offense as the RB2 behind Saquon Barkley.
Yet now Shipley’s game status is undetermined and the Eagles have made a move for a RB that can fill a similar role. While some have said Shipley’s injury has nothing to do with the trade, I would strongly disagree.
Even if Shipley is able to play in Week 2 and beyond, Philadelphia was likely scared off by the fact that he got injured on special teams. It seems like Shipley will have a significant enough role on offense to warrant not utilizing him on special teams, unless absolutely necessary.
With Roseman acquiring Bigsby, he significantly raises the floor as RB3 ahead of A.J. Dillon, while also being able to return kicks full-time. It’s also noteworthy that Bigsby is under contract in 2025 for $1.1 million and in 2026 for $1.4 million.
Given that Barkley has the highest average annual salary among RBs at $20.6 million, it’s valuable for the Eagles to have both their RB2 and RB3 under contract on rookie deals. Roseman has always loved to add players on their rookie deals with multiple years remaining.
He made a similar deal last season for Jahan Dotson to add depth at WR. While Dotson is viewed as a starter, Bigsby is likely viewed in a similar lens by the Eagles.
He’s a 24-year-old, former relatively high draft pick that showcased upside with his previous team. Yet he couldn’t find a consistent role and Philadelphia is betting on maximizing his potential in the City of Brotherly Love.
Bigsby will likely contribute immediately as the primary kick returner in Philadelphia. Yet his role beyond that with the Eagles is uncertain at this time. Bigsby likely offers more upside as a RB than Shipley does, but he’ll have to work his way up the depth chart.
Prior to this deal, the Eagles were loaded with 12 draft picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Now Roseman will “only” have 10 draft picks to work with next year. I’m sure that he’ll continue to make deals to change that number between now and then as well.
While there are many theories about Roseman’s motivation behind making this deal, I believe that it’s actually quite simple. Bigsby fits the mold of a typical value play that Roseman historically likes to make.
Bigsby is a young, talented player with upside that has multiple years remaining on his rookie contract and can play multiple roles. That’s it.