Running Back To Philly

PHILADELPHIA — The hits keep coming for the Eagles’ running back room.

On Wednesday, veteran Dameon Pierce joined fellow backs Tank Bigsby, Will Shipley and Carson Steele on injured reserve.

Pierce, 26, produced 47 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys but left the game early with an undisclosed injury.

Replacing Pierce on the Eagles’ 53-man roster is second-year pro Jaydon Blue, who embarks on his second stint on the active roster this season. Blue, signed to the team’s practice squad ahead of Week 1, was a fifth-round pick of the Cowboys in 2025.

The dynamic Texas product appeared in five games as a rookie, registering 38 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. He signed to the Eagles’ 53-man roster ahead of the team’s Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers and was active but did not play.

Along with Blue and starter Saquon Barkley – the latter currently nursing injuries to his back and hamstring – the Eagles also roster sixth-year pro Elijah Mitchell on the practice squad. Given Mitchell’s resume, which includes 330 career carries, one would assume he would take the lead if Barkley is unable to go Sunday night against the Washington Commanders.

GETTY IMAGES/Icon Sportswire: It’s been years since Eagles RB Elijah Mitchell was a major part of any team’s rushing attack but he could see a big workload Sunday night in Week 8.

Mitchell, 28, originally signed with the Eagles back in the spring, remaining with the team until Aug. 11, when he was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement. Once healthy, Mitchell began training back in Dallas at Sports Academy, preparing for his next opportunity. The next stop in Mitchell’s career marked a return to Philadelphia, where not long ago he was viewed as break-glass-in-case-of-emergency insurance.

That glass is now shattered, as Mitchell suddenly finds himself thrust into a prominent role this week, playing for an organization that left an enduring impression on him months earlier.

“It’s a brotherhood over here,” he said Wednesday. “When I walked in during camp, it just felt like home. So, I was like, ‘Man, I gotta come back if I have the opportunity.’ And I love the offense, so definitely coming back here.”

The offense is predicated primarily on outside zone, a scheme in which Mitchell is well-acquainted from his time with the San Francisco 49ers under head coach Kyle Shanahan.

Mitchell appeared in 27 games (12 starts) for the 49ers across three seasons, producing 1,523 rushing yards and nine touchdowns over 327 carries.

Mitchell is used to running with his opportunity, but it’s been a while since he was meaningfully pressed into service. In 2024, Mitchell, still with the 49ers, suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in the preseason. The 2021 sixth-round pick would play in one game last season, for the Kansas City Chiefs, but yielded no stats.

Before his time with the Eagles, Mitchell spent four months with the New England Patriots. You’d have to go back to Week 18 of the 2023 season to find the last time he received double digit carries.

The recent inactivity, however, has done little to alter Mitchell’s mental approach. That preparedness is what’s he’s banked on for five seasons, a valuable intangible that proves especially vital when it comes to pinch-hitting at a moment’s notice.

“I’m on year six,” he began, “so it’s just being the vet, man, at this point. Still, it don’t matter if I’m starting or not; I still got the same mentality of learning the plays, taking all my details down. It’s the same thing. So, in this league, you always gotta stay ready.”

Mitchell is speaking from experience. He was part of a talented three-headed rushing attack at Louisiana, where usage was fluid. With regard to the NFL, Mitchell pointed to a notable example that resembles the position he’s in now.

“My rookie year with San Fran, Raheem Mostert went down and I had to jump in,” he recalled. “My head coach, Kyle (Shanahan) turned to me and he was like, ‘You ready to go?’ And took off from there, man.”

Mitchell made his Eagles debut Monday night, accounting for 14 offensive snaps and another 15 on special teams. He touched the ball nine times — six on offense and three on special teams — including a 15-yard reception. Before Monday night, Mitchell, who hadn’t logged a special teams rep since his rookie season in 2021, helped the Eagles in both kick coverage and kick return.

“At the end of the day, if they need me, I’m here for them,” he said. “It was definitely just getting back into my fundamentals, really. That’s what it is.”

For Mitchell to even suit up for the Eagles on Sunday, he’d need to be elevated from the practice squad or signed to the 53-man roster by Saturday at 4 p.m. Barkley’s game status notwithstanding, the razor thin numbers shortage at the position ensures Mitchell will be involved in some capacity.

It would be his first time going into a game with a role equipped with volume since Week 18 of the 2023 season. It’s a challenge that any competitor welcomes, one that Mitchell has answered a few times before.

So, whether he is named the starter this week or serving as the backup to Barkley, Mitchell doesn’t waver from a mental approach that entails commitment and continuously striving for more. That approach has armed him with perspective, shaping his mentality going into the week.

“Man, like always,” he began. “Take advantage of the reps you get and go out there and battle with the men. That’s it.”

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com