Tank Bigsby — Week 1: One Carry, Two Kickoff Returns
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 14
Bigsby carried once, for three yards from the Washington twelve in the second quarter, the snap between Saquon Barkley's forty-two-yard run and Dontayvion Wicks's touchdown, and was not thrown to; his other two touches were kickoff returns of twenty-nine and twenty-one yards. Barkley carried fifteen times, Jalen Hurts scrambled five, and Will Shipley carried twice and caught one pass, in a 24–22 win over the Commanders.
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The full episode, in writing
Tank Bigsby's day from scrimmage is one line. First and 10 at the Washington 12, seven 21 left in the second quarter, Philadelphia up seven to three, the snap after Saquon Barkley's 42-yard run: up the middle for three to the nine. It was worth −0.3 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and −0.3 points of win probability, the chance of winning after the play against before it. On the next snap Jalen Hurts threw short left to Dontayvion Wicks for a nine-yard touchdown. Bigsby was not thrown to. His other two touches were kickoffs: a 29-yard return to the Philadelphia 29 with one 53 left in the half, and a 21-yard return to the 26 to open the second half. He was not on the Eagles' inactive list — Tanner McKee, Cole Payton, Elijah Moore, Jonathan Greenard and Micah Morris, per PhiladelphiaEagles.com — and those three plays are the whole of his day in the play-by-play.
What the backfield did around him is the football. Barkley carried 15 times for 83 yards — 42 on the one run, 41 on the other 14 — no touchdown, −0.7 expected points, +2 targets and one catch for −3. Hurts scrambled five times for 48 yards, including 22 on third and 18 with eight oh three left in the fourth on the drive that produced the winning touchdown. Will Shipley carried twice for four yards and caught his one target for eight. Philadelphia ran 18 designed runs, 10 before halftime and eight after; the 10 before were Barkley nine and Bigsby one, and the eight after were Barkley six and Shipley two. Bigsby did not carry after halftime.
The split: Barkley 15, Hurts five, Shipley two, Bigsby one; 23 runs counting the scrambles for a hundred 38 yards, against 28 pass plays. Philadelphia ran six plays inside the Washington 20, Bigsby's carry among them, and scored no rushing touchdown; both touchdowns from inside the 20 were throws, to Wicks from the nine and Dallas Goedert from the 17. 25 throws went to six receivers, and Bigsby was not one of them.
Back in June the preview made no call on Bigsby — RB54 at pick one 71, priced for the job he had, handcuff money for the two spot behind a back who missed one game the year before, with a 20-24 proof-of-concept season as the upside and three catches a year as the floor problem — and it said to watch the two-spot rotation against Shipley, and whether Sean Mannion's offense used him in the passing game at all. Sunday the rotation read Shipley two, Bigsby one, the passing game used Shipley once and Bigsby not at all, and Bigsby's 50 yards came on kickoffs. One carry is not a verdict on the two spot; it is also not the rotation the preview expected him to win. Philadelphia is at the Titans on Sunday the twentieth.
_Data via nflverse._
When Tank Bigsby's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
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