In 2024, Saquon Barkley didn’t just carry the Eagles‘ run game; he dragged it for 345 regular season touches. He was electric, explosive, and everything Philly needed… until they didn’t. Mid-games often saw him cooling off on the bench, not for performance, but preservation. Load management became the hidden stat line. And heading into 2025? The message was clear: no repeat of last year’s mileage. So, Nick Sirianni and Co. found a fix—big-bodied, bruising AJ Dillon, brought in to split the weight.

They’ve got Will Shipley, sure. But Dillon wasn’t signed to watch from the sidelines, at least it seems so. The Eagles wanted thunder to Barkley’s lightning, a late-game hammer to keep defenders guessing and Barkley healthy. Dillon fit the bill: experienced, tough, and hungry after a quiet exit from the Packers. The one-two punch was on paper, and the plan looked solid. But now, just as things were beginning to click in camp… let’s just say, there’s a new wrinkle.

Eliot Shorr-Parks, Eagles Reporter for 94WIP.com, recently reported that the 27-year-old running back is limited at today’s (July 31) practice. The crystal? A back injury. While it’s not confirmed how severe the injury is, it’s enough to send Eagles fans into a frenzy. We can expect/hope that his back injury might not be severe enough to interrupt his 2025 season.

Injury is that one term that probably keeps AJ Dillon awake at night. Last season? Washed away. It started back in the 2023 season when a stinger prematurely ended Dillon’s 2023 season. Fast forward to August 2024, and the Packers placed the back on a season-ending injured reserve due to a cervical neck stinger. Yes, the same that sidelined him at the end of the 2023 season. He never got to suit up for the Packers in 2024. And once the free agency kicked off this year, he then signed a one-year deal with the Eagles.

The guy showed up in 60-career games across four seasons (missed fifth season) and recorded 2,428 rushing yards on 597 rushing attempts. Along the way, he racked up 16 rushing TDs. Talent? It’s there. Experience? Four-years. But it’s the injury bug that just won’t stop biting. With training camp buzzing, Nick Sirianni and Co. are hoping for AJ Dillon’s recovery. After all, the quarterback, Jalen Hurts, is already struggling at camp.

Camp blues: Jalen Hurts is yet to hit his stride in camp

Jalen Hurts has had himself a year, no question about that. Everything’s clicked, and for all the right reasons. But once training camp rolled around, something shifted. Not major, just… enough to notice. Day 3 of camp told the tale best. Following the first four plays, where the defense turned heads, the Eagles decided to capitalize on A.J. Brown. On 3rd-and-10, Hurts threw a deep pass to Brown, and even though Kelee Ringo had tight coverage, Brown hauled in the pass for about 30 yards. But there was a wrinkle.

NBC Sports Philadelphia’s reporter Dave Zangaro reported, “Overall, it wasn’t Hurts’ sharpest day of training camp. He missed a few throws and even threw one pass into the arms of a new piece of equipment this year that get held up by staffers at the line of scrimmage during 7-on-7s.” The reasons seemed palpable: he showed poor throws and more incompletions. And as reported by Parks, his 7-on-7 was not sharp.

“He had a pass “batter down” by a coach with a fly swatter, which is extremely rare in that drill. Later in practice, he had a pass batted down by Jordan Davis in 11v11,” Parks mentioned. Day 3 stats? 15/24. 2 TD, 0 INT. Fast forward to now, and INTERCEPTION. Parks reported that the signal-caller “intercepted in a 2 min situational drill. Pass looked to sail on him over the middle of the field and was picked off by Eli Ricks.”

Taken all together, training camp hasn’t been kind to Jalen Hurts. As for the head coach, Nick Sirianni, he’s tackling injury issues on his roster along with Hurts’ struggles. We’ll see how things turn out this week.