PHILADELPHIA — A common misconception about the West Coast offense is that it’s all about passing, that running the ball takes a back seat.
Some coaches have operated it that way, like Andy Reid earlier in his career. And it’s true that safe, quick passes — including to running backs in the flat, on screens and over the middle — do supplement the running game with a focus on yards gained after the catch.
But for Bill Walsh’s 49ers, Roger Craig rushed for more than 1,000 yards three times, including 1,502 in 1988, when Joe Montana won his third of four Super Bowls. Under Mike Shanahan in Denver, Terrell Davis ran for 1,750 yards in 1997 and 2,008 the following year — when the Broncos won back-to-back Super Bowls.
Walsh, of course, is the father of the West Coast offense. Mike Shanahan is the father of Kyle, who now runs his own version in San Francisco.
If the Eagles are successful in Sean Mannion’s West Coast system this season, his first as a coordinator, it will start with running the football.
That means a big year for Saquon Barkley, who can obviously do it all, and more snaps for Tank Bigsby, whose running style often resembles a bowling ball splashing for a strike.
That two-headed monster of Barkley and Bigsby — call it ground B&B — is key.
“I mean, you look at just his moves, and he continues to just grow,” Eagles running backs coach Jemal Singleton said last week about Barkley. “He understands where he’s got to be when it’s time to play. And as he builds his body up and keeps working, it’s been fun.
“It’s like the wow factor. It’s Saquon Barkley, let’s not forget. He’s done some amazing things, and he still can. We have to take a step back. Having seen it up close and personal, we kind of take that stuff for granted a little bit. So having some new eyes look at some of the things he’s been able to do, it’s been fun.
“He brings joy to the team. He brings joy to the practice.”
Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby (8) practices during training camp at the Jefferson Health Training Complex on July 29, 2026. (Getty Images)
Barkley has embraced Mannion’s approach. He spoke with former running back Todd Gurley and studied his film from his time with the Los Angeles Rams, where Gurley ran in a similar system under Sean McVay (for whom Mannion was backup QB for two years).
Gurley posted 1,305 rushing yards there in 2017 and 1,251 in 2018 — leading the league in touchdowns each of those seasons with 13 and 17.
“I feel like I have a chance to be really good in this system,” Barkley said. “I’ve seen it from afar, but now, like actually studying it and working in it, and trying to put myself in the system, I feel like it’s going to open up some things that I may not have been able to show as much in my career. So I’m excited for that part of it, too.”
The Eagles acquired Bigsby in Week 2 of last season. He got only 58 carries over 16 games, which felt like dramatic underuse. He averaged 5.9 yards and showed flashes of explosiveness.
“I just come to work and do what I have to do every day,” Bigsby said. “You know, whatever I got to do to help the team win, I step up and do my role. I feel like we’re building. We’re learning. We’re getting better and better, especially since OTAs.”
The Eagles are employing a zone blocking scheme — also synonymous with the West Coast offense, though Mike Shanahan leaned into it extra heavily in Denver — but theirs will stretch the field horizontally even more than most. In simple terms, it’s to induce defenders to overcommit toward the sideline so the runner can cut back and find vertical daylight.
“The thing that changes for me is we coach it a little bit different,” Barkley said. “Outside zone and wide zone, the read is pretty much the same, but just trying to get more of a one-cut mindset.”
That’s what Bigsby meant when he described Mannion’s running system as “downhill,” even though it starts with lateral movement. But it sounds like both he and Barkley (particularly Barkley, and perhaps Will Shipley) could still catch plenty of passes out of the backfield.
“I don’t want to get too far into specifics, but I think they’re all very, very capable of that,” Mannion said.
Hybrid running back Carson Steele, who could be up and down from the practice squad, showed similar versatility during the preseason. His 59 yards on 21 carries didn’t light up the stat sheet, but he had 14 catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns.
Fellow back Dameon Pierce, who could also see time from the practice squad, had 422 receiving yards in four years at Florida, where he graduated in 2021.
But it all starts with running the ball, which sets up the play-action pass — an emphasis for the Eagles all summer with Jalen Hurts under center and turning his back on the defense.
“I think Sean is doing a phenomenal job taking into account what our personnel is, what we’re doing, some of the things that we have, what our strengths are, and he’s just continuing growth,” Singleton said.
One thing Barkley had two years ago, when the Eagles won the Super Bowl and he cracked the exclusive 2,000-yard club, was a healthy and dominant offensive line. He and Bigsby didn’t have that last season.
Left guard Landon Dickerson, center Cam Jurgens and right tackle Lane Johnson all had lingering injuries, with Johnson missing the final 11 games.
It affected the passing attack but was equally visible in the running game, when defenders were often in Barkley’s face even before he reached the line of scrimmage.
The entire line, including left tackle Jordan Mailata and right guard Tyler Steen, is presently healthy.
It’s also deeper than a year ago, with Fred Johnson returning and the emergence of rookie tackle Markel Bell and linemen Drew Kendall, Willie Lampkin and rookie Micah Morris.
Throughout the summer, there has been plenty of talk about buy-in by Hurts, changes to the receiving corps, first-round receiver Makai Lemon missing time, and second-round tight end Eli Stowers having a quiet camp and now missing time himself. But it all starts with the running game, with Barkley, Bigsby and the big boys up front.
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A feature on the Eagles’ defense is coming Tuesday. An Eagles season preview will be published Wednesday.