30 Most Important Eagles of 2026: No. 24 Tank Bigsby

The Philadelphia Eagles are gearing up for another run at a Super Bowl, and this edition of FlyEaglesFly features plenty of new and returning faces within the organization. Several players, coaches, and front-office members are crucial to the team’s success this season.

Every day from now until the start of training camp, we’re counting down our 30 Most Important Eagles for the 2026 season. We’ll recap their 2025 season, look ahead to 2026, and tackle the most significant question facing them this year.

Next up is Tank Bigsby, a hard-nosed, athletic running back who could cede touches away from Saquon Barkley.

Tank Bigsby enters the 2026 season as one of the more important complementary players on the Eagles‘ roster because Philadelphia needs more than star power from its backfield.

Saquon Barkley remains the centerpiece of the running game, but the Eagles cannot afford to ask him to carry the entire rushing workload through a long regular season and another expected playoff push. That makes Bigsby more than a traditional backup. He is a physical, explosive runner who can help protect Barkley’s workload, keep the offense on schedule, and give Philadelphia a different tempo when the ground game needs fresh legs.

Bigsby lands at No. 24 on the Eagles’ 30 most important players list because his role could determine how balanced and sustainable Philadelphia’s offense looks in 2026. The Eagles acquired him from Jacksonville in September 2025 for fifth- and sixth-round picks in the 2026 NFL draft, giving Howie Roseman another young, cost-controlled player at a position where depth matters.

Bigsby’s first season with the Eagles offered enough flashes to make his 2026 role under Sean Mannion a storyline to watch.

He appeared in 17 games and rushed 63 times for 356 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Those numbers did not come with a massive workload, but they showed efficiency, burst, and the ability to produce when Philadelphia gave him opportunities.

The most encouraging part of Bigsby’s season was that he looked capable of giving the Eagles real juice behind Barkley. He ran with power through contact, showed enough acceleration to hit creases quickly, and gave Philadelphia a runner who could handle early-down work without forcing the offense to change its identity. His best stretches suggested the Eagles had more backfield depth than they consistently used, and that could become a larger storyline under Sean Mannion in 2026.

Bigsby did not become a featured part of the offense in 2025, and that is why his ranking sits in the middle portion of this list instead of higher. Still, he made a strong enough case that Philadelphia should enter training camp looking for ways to increase his involvement, especially if the team wants Barkley fresh for December and January.

Bigsby’s 2026 outlook depends on whether the Eagles are willing to build a more deliberate secondary running back role into the offense.

Philadelphia has the offensive line, quarterback run threat, and backfield talent to remain one of the NFL’s most difficult rushing attacks to defend. Barkley will remain the lead option, but Bigsby can give the Eagles a physical changeup who keeps the offense moving in the second and third quarters, handles short-yardage work, closes out games, and absorbs carries that do not need to go to the starter.

That workload management matters. The Eagles are not simply trying to win regular-season games. They are trying to position themselves for another deep postseason run, and that requires keeping their best players as healthy and explosive as possible. Bigsby’s development gives Philadelphia a chance to reduce Barkley’s weekly burden without sacrificing physicality.

His contract also makes him valuable. Spotrac lists Bigsby with a 2026 cap hit of $1.485 million, which is a manageable number for a back who could become the clear No. 2 option in one of the league’s most run-friendly environments. If he turns limited 2025 efficiency into more consistent production, the Eagles will have an inexpensive and reliable backfield piece in the final year of his rookie deal.

Can Bigsby earn enough trust to become a true offensive factor instead of an occasional change-of-pace option?

That is the question that will define his 2026 season. The talent is obvious, and his 2025 efficiency gave the Eagles reason to believe he can handle more. The next step is proving he can contribute consistently in pass protection, ball security, receiving situations, and situational football, because those details determine whether a backup running back gets meaningful snaps in close games.

If Bigsby becomes a dependable No. 2 behind Barkley, Philadelphia’s offense becomes more sustainable and more physical. If he remains a limited-use player, the Eagles may again lean too heavily on Barkley and miss an opportunity to maximize one of the better backfield combinations on the roster.

We’re counting down our 30 Most Important Eagles of 2026. Check back every day leading up to the start of training camp.

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: 30 Most Important Eagles of 2026: No. 24 Tank Bigsby