Player
Will Shipley
RB · Eagles
The gap between his regular-season and postseason efficiency raises an open question: is he a gadget back who only pops in low-leverage roles, or does he genuinely produce when given quality blocking in a playoff system?
3.0 YPC in two regular seasons — then 19.3 YPC on 4 carries in the playoffs.
TrendShipley career rushing — regular season vs postseason
| Context | Carries | Yds | YPC | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reg season (2024-25) | 44 | 131 | 3.0 | 20 | 0 |
| 2024 NFCCG only | 4 | 77 | 19.3 | 57 | 1 |
In 44 regular-season carries across two years, Shipley averages 3.0 YPC with a career-long of 20 yards. Zero rushing touchdowns.
Then came the 2024 NFC Championship Game vs Washington: 4 carries, 77 yards, a 57-yard burst to set up the score, and a touchdown. That single game (19.3 YPC) is the lone highlight reel on his rushing resume — and it came on the biggest stage available.
Why it matters. The gap between his regular-season and postseason efficiency raises an open question: is he a gadget back who only pops in low-leverage roles, or does he genuinely produce when given quality blocking in a playoff system?
His best NFL game was a Super Bowl-run playoff game — 4 carries for 77 yards and a TD vs Washington (NFC Championship).
MilestoneWill Shipley career — top regular-season games
| Year | Wk | Opp | Car | RYds | RTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 18 | NYG | 10 | 32 | 0 |
| 2024 | 10 | DAL | 9 | 34 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 | DAL | 3 | 26 | 0 |
In the NFC Championship Game vs Washington (2024 postseason), Shipley got 4 carries for 77 yards (19.3 YPC) and a touchdown — the most explosive game of his career, on the biggest stage.
It's the kind of line that says he can produce in space if asked, but the volume hasn't followed. His top regular-season games were Week 18 mop-up duty (vs NYG) and a Week 10 spot start (vs DAL).
Why it matters. A backup RB who delivered his only highlight-reel game in an NFC Championship Game is either an efficient role player or a small-sample mirage — the answer depends on whether PHI ever gives him a sustained workload.
On 3rd down: in 2024 he was a runner (1 target, 7 carries); in 2025, a receiver (6 targets, 4 carries).
SplitShipley 3rd-down usage by season
| Season | 3rd-Dn Rec Plays | 3rd-Dn Rush Plays | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 7 | Runner |
| 2025 | 6 | 4 | Receiver |
The headline role-shift isn't just about total carries shrinking — it's about how PHI deploys him on critical downs. In 2024, Shipley on 3rd down meant a handoff (7 rushes, 1 target). In 2025, it meant a checkdown route (6 targets, 4 rushes).
That's a full inversion. PHI effectively re-classified him from a change-of-pace runner to a pass-catching third-down back — the same role Kenneth Gainwell held before leaving for Pittsburgh.
Why it matters. Third-down alignment defines a backup RB's salary and roster security far more than total carries. The 2025 shift signals PHI views Shipley as their passing-down RB2, which is a real (if limited) role.
His career-long run (57 yards) came in the NFC Championship Game — his regular-season best is 20 yards.
RareShipley longest carries — career
| Game | Season | Yds | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFCCG vs WAS | 2024 | 57 | Postseason — career long |
| Wk 1 vs DAL | 2025 | 20 | Regular season — career long |
| Wk 10 vs DAL | 2024 | 9 | Next best reg-season run |
Will Shipley's longest career run (57 yards) happened in the NFC Championship Game — not a regular-season blowout, not a padded stat line. He needed the postseason to show what he can do in space.
In 44 regular-season carries across two full years, his best run is 20 yards — a Week 1 breakaway in 2025 vs Dallas. Third on the regular-season list is 9 yards. The playoff carry is an outlier in every sense.
Why it matters. A backup whose best career play came on the biggest stage is either an explosive athlete who rarely gets ideal blocking, or a small-sample outlier — but the 57-yard burst in a playoff game is harder to dismiss than a mop-up carry.
Kenneth Gainwell left PHI with 85 targets in 2025 — Shipley absorbed 12 of them, Tank Bigsby got 4.
ComparisonPHI RB receiving usage 2025 (regular season)
| Player | Targets | Rec | Yds | Catch% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saquon Barkley | 50 | 37 | 273 | 74.0 |
| Will Shipley | 12 | 9 | 56 | 75.0 |
| Tank Bigsby | 4 | 3 | 32 | 75.0 |
| AJ Dillon | 3 | 3 | 21 | 100.0 |
Kenneth Gainwell caught 73 passes on 85 targets in 2025 as the Pittsburgh Steelers' pass-catching back after departing Philadelphia. PHI's passing volume for the RB2 role didn't disappear — it just shrank dramatically.
Shipley got 12 of those vacated targets (75% catch rate), Bigsby got 4. The Eagles either chose not to scheme a Gainwell-volume replacement or trusted Barkley to absorb more, but the net result is Shipley holding the pass-catching RB2 title with a light workload.
Why it matters. If PHI decides to invest more heavily in the passing-game RB role in 2026, Shipley is the in-house candidate — but the 2025 target data shows they deliberately kept his volume minimal.
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