PFF ranks Eagles' running back unit fourth in the NFL

Saturday, June 21, 2025

Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball against the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher

The Eagles' running back room came in fourth place in the NFL in a new Pro Football Focus ranking.

All in all, fourth place is a reasonable ranking, considering the existence of Saquon Barkley. Here's what PFF had to say about the Eagles:

Saquon Barkley's incredible 2024 season alone earns Philadelphia a high mark on this Iist. Postseason included, Barkley rushed for more than 2,500 yards last season while forcing 83 missed tackles and generating an astonishing 55 explosive runs.

AJ Dillon and Will Shipley will be Barkley's backups in 2025. Dillon missed all of last season due to a neck injury but earned a solid 76.1 PFF rushing grade in 2023. Shipley tallied just 34 carries during his rookie campaign but could be the team's primary kick returner this season.

Like I said, fourth place is fine. Going into this list, I expected the Eagles to be within the top five, at least.

Here are the teams ranked one, two and three, and the running backs PFF mentions:

Baltimore Ravens: Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell, Rasheen Ali
Detroit Lions: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Craig Reynolds
Atlanta Falcons: Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Jashaun Corbin

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Again, not unreasonable. While Barkley is the best running back in the NFL, when you look at those three running back rooms as a whole, arguments can be made that they are stronger than the Eagles' room of Saquon, AJ Dillon and Will Shipley.

I don't know if I would have personally put the Ravens at No. 1, considering the Lions and Falcons have great established one-two tandems in Gibbs/Montgomery and Robinson/Allgeier. But I understand the list.

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Grace Del Pizzo

Grace Del Pizzo is a Multimedia Journalist for On Pattison and Delco Now. She is from Delco and has been covering Philly sports since 2023. During the 2024 MLB season, Del Pizzo worked as the Social Media Coordinator at Phillies Nation, growing their social channels and creating video content with Phillies players. She has also interned at Crossing Broad. Del Pizzo is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, where she majored in Sports Journalism and minored in Music Theatre. Follow her on X at @GraceDelPizzo!