A Glimpse Into Will Shipley's Role With Eagles Offense This Season

A glimpse into Will Shipley's role with Eagles offense this season originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Toward the end of Tuesday’s training camp practice, the Eagles gave us a glimpse of Will Shipley’s potential role within the offense.

He caught the football on four straight plays. All passes from Jalen Hurts.

As Shipley enters his second NFL season, he has been working with Hurts and the first-team offense a lot more to spell Saquon Barkley. And he has learned exactly what Hurts wants from him as a receiver.

“Just to really understand the concept more so than the route that you’re running,” Shipley explained. “Being able to see the defense, where they’re at, so you guys can be on the same page. 

“I know at the end of practice there, we had pretty much a reload of the same play. Switching sides of the field, but the same play. And we got three or four different looks from the defense. So I’m breaking out and I’m stopping a little bit if they’re having a cover corner. Or if they’ve left a hole, then I’m sitting down right at the top of the route. Or I’m running out of my break for four steps and looking for the ball. We got three or four different looks and every one of them was a completion.

“We seemed to be on the same page and, like I said, that breeds confidence, especially for a young guy like me, to be able to know that chemistry is building and growing and I am starting to understand what he wants out of a receiver, someone he’s throwing the ball to.”

On a team with Barkley, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, it’s not like Shipley or A.J. Dillon are expecting to have huge roles in the Eagles’ offense.

But Barkley won’t play every snap. And after Kenny Gainwell left in free agency, there’s a clear role available for Shipley. The 2024 fourth-round pick seems like a natural replacement for Gainwell’s role, especially in the 2-minute offense, where he can utilize his natural pass-catching abilities.

“I think that the role that they see for me, I’m fitting very well into,” Shipley said. “I just want to continue to exceed that and exceed their expectations and show that I can do more than what they’re asking from me. Whenever that comes, whenever that opportunity comes, I’ll be ready for it.”

Here’s a look at how the running back snaps were divvied up last season:

Saquon Barkley: 801
Kenny Gainwell: 301
Will Shipley: 65
Ty Davis-Price: 5

It’s worth noting that while Barkley had more catches than Gainwell last season, just 8.7% of Barkley’s touches were receptions, while 17.6% of Gainwell’s touches were receptions.

Shipley has been working hard to improve as a runner and in pass protection, but he still works at improving his greatest strength — catching the football.

The best way to improve is just repetition, both on his own and within the offense.

“Just 500 shots, like coach says,” Shipley explained. “Getting on the JUGS after practice. Being able to catch from Jalen even though I didn’t get much of it last season. But throughout OTAs, throughout training camp this year, I’ve been getting a lot more reps with him, just getting that chemistry down. Like I said, the confidence comes from experience and the reps that I’ve gotten. Seeing an increase in those has definitely helped me for sure.”

Aside from the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, any running back who plays a role in the 2-minute offense needs to be able to protect the quarterback.

Shipley is still improving in this area — there have been some ups and downs — but he said on Tuesday he feels pretty confident protecting the quarterback.

His coaches agree.

“He’s done a pretty good job,” offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo said. “Pass protection is one of those unique things at the running back position where you got to get reps at it. So going against the Browns the other day was really good for him to see different blitz packages besides [Vic Fangio’s], so he’s seeing new things and getting exposed to that. That’s really what it comes down to is just reps, you just got to see it full speed.”

If you were wondering about the running back pecking order, we might have gotten a hint in the second preseason game. Shipley got to watch that game next to Barkley on the sideline in street clothes, while Dillon started with the other backups. 

All indications are that Shipley is going to have a role in 2025.

“I’m really happy with where I’m at,” he said. “Just a lot of confidence that comes with experience, getting more and more reps.”