Tank Bigsby stepped into a larger role out of necessity Sunday and delivered the kind of physical, team-first performance the Eagles value even if the box score stayed modest.

With Saquon Barkley limited after a neck/stinger injury on the opening play of the Eagles’ 24-20 win at Tennessee, Bigsby handled the bulk of the backfield work. He finished with 13 carries for 33 yards and a two-yard touchdown, plus two catches for an additional five yards. The 2.5 yards per carry obviously don’t jump off the stat sheet. 

The film and the locker room told a different story, however.

Head coach Nick Sirianni praised the fourth-year back’s effort, toughness, and reliability on Monday. 

“As always, Tank’s going to play extremely hard and have some dirty runs in there because he runs so hard,” Sirianni said. “I think about that one that’s down near the goal line where he keeps his feet driving and gets us all the way down to the three-yard line and then caps it off [with] the touchdown. 

“Obviously, a great sequence there for Tank.” 

That goal-line sequence captured what the Eagles like about Bigsby. He absorbed contact, kept his legs moving, and finished the drive. The two-yard plunge tied the game in the second quarter and gave Philadelphia its first points of the afternoon. He also contributed on special teams, including an impressive tackle on punt coverage.

An Impressive Teammate

“Tank made a tackle on special teams yesterday on punt that was pretty awesome to see,” Sirianni said. “... He’s such a good teammate and he’s constantly doing the little things he needs to do to help the team win. It’s great to see him be rewarded with a touchdown yesterday and a couple nice runs. 

“You knew he would be ready to go. I thought he played solidly. Like anybody, everyone’s going to want some things back from the game. There are things to work on, but I thought he played solidly and did some nice things to help us win and did some nice things for us on special teams as well. But that’s the type of teammate he is and he’s constantly working. He’s just a great teammate.”

Bigsby has spent most of his Eagles tenure as a complementary piece behind Barkley after arriving via trade from Jacksonville early in the 2025 season. He has shown efficiency in limited work in the past, but this was his clearest chance to carry a heavier load in a close road game. 

The Titans’ front made yards difficult to come by for everyone; Philadelphia finished with just 89 rushing yards as a team. 

Bigsby still found ways to move the chains in short-yardage and stay available when the offense needed him.

Barkley returned after halftime but finished with only four carries for nine yards. How much work Bigsby sees going forward will depend on Barkley’s status after further evaluation. 

For one afternoon, the backup proved he was ready when called. The numbers were ordinary. The effort, the finish near the goal line, the special-teams play, and the coach’s endorsement were not.

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