When news broke that the Philadelphia Eagles traded a pair of picks to acquire Tank Bigsby from the Jacksonville Jaguars, fans immediately started imagining his pairing with Saquon Barkley.
Suddenly, one of the better young running backs in the game would be teamed up with one of the best players in the NFL period, with a whole world of possibilities unlocked by their potential pairing.
Asked by reporters how it feels to join a running backs room headlined by Barkley, Bigsby noted it's great, as he gets to play with the best player in the NFL at their shared position.
“I feel like he's best in the league, if you ask me,” Bigsby told reporters via Zach Berman. “Because he's different. Jumping over someone backwards, it don't happen like that.”
That play in question, Barkley's signature backwards hurdle that now graces the cover of Madden 26, actually happened against the Jacksonville Jaguars, where Bigsby played at the time. Asked what it was like to see that happen live and in person, Bigsby recalls his exact reaction.
“I said holy s**t,” Bigsby recalled.
With Barkley and Bigsby linked up, the Eagles might just have the best running back rotation in the NFL, especially when Will Shipley returns from his rib injury. And the best part? Bigsby can attack opposing teams in more ways than just on offense.
Tank Bigsby talks returning kicks for the Eagles
While Bigsby should be a welcome addition to the Eagles' offense, he was really acquired to help out on special teams, where the new kickoff rule makes the play all the more pivotal. Asked about how to attack opposing kickoff units under this new format, Bigsby noted it's not too different from a traditional zone running play, which is his specialty.
“It's like a big old run, really, the defense, they're right there, like O-line, and you know how to D-line right there, so the way they engage. So it's like a big old run, big old zone run, and they run this way, you got an opportunity to knife it, they head up, you can make a decision, make an arm tackle, so it's just, it's like a big run right now.”
As arguably the best zone blocking team in the NFL, it makes sense that the Eagles would be able to execute on kickoffs and secure the offense great field position. Add a legitimate weapon like Bigsby to that equation, and the Eagles might just have their best return man since Darren Sproles.
Tank Bigsby says he thinks the new kickoff rule is basically like a big running play
Seems confident he can be an impact player as a kick returner pic.twitter.com/Pai1lRm993
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) September 10, 2025
