Barkley's hamstring went again Monday, and the backfield behind him is thin

He played. Then he didn't. Saquon Barkley returned from a two-game absence Monday night against Dallas, and before the night was out he was back in the injury tent with another hamstring problem, his immediate availability now genuinely in doubt. The depth chart behind him lists Dameon Pierce and Jaydon Blue. That is the backfield Philadelphia is working with, with 10 games left and an elimination number of 9.

Will Shipley and Tank Bigsby have been the primary contributors in Barkley's absence — Shipley with 135 rushing yards and two touchdowns across seven games, Bigsby with 96 yards and a score in five — but neither has been the kind of presence that changes what a defense has to account for. That was always the gap between them and Barkley, and Monday night was supposed to be the start of closing it. Instead, the Eagles are back where they were two weeks ago, only now they're 2-5 and losing by nearly seven points a game.

The running game was already the thinnest part of an offense missing Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, and any real downfield threat. Barkley's status for next week is uncertain. My read is that the Eagles will need to lean harder on whoever is available at running back, which means Tanner McKee's job just got harder — again.