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PHILADELPHIA, P.A. — The Philadelphia Eagles' season has been defined by a simple mantra: Next man up. But in the running back room, that mantra has morphed into something more dire: Apocalypse Now. If the situation weren't so serious, it might be laughable—or perhaps it is, because if you're not laughing, you might feel like crying.
The Eagles aren't doing either, but consider their predicament: three running backs on injured reserve (Tank Bigsby, Will Shipley, and Damen Pierce), another with a bad back (Saquon Barkley), and one waived injured (Carson Steele). It's an apocalypse, indeed.
"It's my first time really experiencing it," center Drew Kendall said. "But I'm only in my second year." You could play in the NFL for a decade and not experience what the Eagles have gone through. They are also without their top two receivers, DeVonta Smith and Tay Wicks, and their offensive line has been shuffled due to Lane Johnson's in-season retirement, the trade of Cam Jurgens, and injuries.
But it's the running back position that's been ground to a pulp. The two backs for Sunday night's visit to the Commanders will be Elijah Mitchell and Jaydon Blue, whom the Eagles already believe in.
"We're constantly coaching every member on the roster," offensive coordinator Sean Mannion said. "So, when we get Elijah here, and I think it was midway through the offseason program, it's not, 'Hey, we're going to wait and get you up to speed until it's your time to be up on game day.' We're constantly priding ourselves on developing every member of our roster. [Running backs/assistant head coach] Jemal [Singleton] does an outstanding job with that room. I know we've had some new faces. Blue, we picked up later on. Elijah, he was here in the offseason, then away, and then back. But it's a credit to all of our position coaches, Jemal specifically with the running backs, that with some roster turnover, with guys needing to step up, they're all mentally capable of stepping in there and executing."
Mitchell is no stranger to injury. Even as a rookie sixth-round pick of the 49ers in 2021, when he ran for 963 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games, he battled a broken finger, fractured ribs, a concussion, and a knee injury. In the following years, he dealt with MCL, groin, and hamstring strains. He started training camp with the Eagles but was waived due to injury on Aug. 11. He was brought back to the practice squad on Oct. 20 and is now the likely starter against the Commanders. Pressed into action last Monday night, when Pierce got hurt in the Eagles' loss to the Cowboys, Mitchell ran for 11 yards and caught three passes for 23 yards on 14 snaps.
Blue, a fifth-round pick by the Cowboys in the 2025 draft, was released this past summer and has been on and off the Eagles' practice squad and 53-man roster a couple of times already. The Eagles hosted him for a top-30 visit when he entered the draft out of the University of Texas. He is expected to have an opportunity to run the ball and maybe return kicks on Sunday night due to the "Apocalypse Now" situation.
"Yeah, man, it's part of the game—injuries happen," Blue said. "I'm just trying to do everything I can to pick up the slack and make sure there is no drop-off."
Key Analysis
The Eagles' running back situation is a textbook example of next-man-up philosophy being pushed to its limits. With three running backs on IR and their starter ailing, the team turns to two players who were recently on the practice squad or waived. Elijah Mitchell, a former 49ers draft pick, has shown promise when healthy but has a lengthy injury history. Jaydon Blue, a rookie, brings fresh legs and versatility. Their performance against the Commanders will be crucial for Philadelphia's playoff hopes. Offensive coordinator Sean Mannion's emphasis on constant development and assistant head coach Jemal Singleton's work with the running backs will be under the microscope. If Mitchell and Blue can step up, the Eagles might just navigate this apocalypse.