Eagles Bring Back Elijah Mitchell, Waive Jaydon Blue and Carson Steele

The Philadelphia Eagles reshaped their running back depth chart Tuesday, signing veteran Elijah Mitchell to the practice squad, waiving Jaydon Blue and waiving/injured Carson Steele. The club also released center James Brockermeyer and running back Ian Wheeler from the practice squad.

The moves do not make Mitchell an automatic Week 7 starter. They do, however, establish him as the experienced insurance option behind an active-roster backfield that has been stressed by injuries—and they make Blue expendable only three days after Philadelphia promoted him for Week 6.

What Philadelphia changed

According to the Eagles’ official transaction announcement, Mitchell returns after spending the offseason with Philadelphia and being released in August following a training-camp injury. The 28-year-old has 1,523 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in 27 career games with San Francisco. He appeared once for Kansas City in 2025 before later joining New England’s practice squad.

Blue, a 2025 fifth-round pick by Dallas, had been signed from the practice squad to the active roster on Saturday. His rookie line with the Cowboys was 34 carries for 129 yards and one touchdown. Steele played one offensive snap against Carolina, turning a screen into a four-yard gain before a shoulder injury; the waived/injured designation gives Philadelphia a different procedural path than a standard release.

Why the Eagles needed another veteran runner

Philadelphia entered Sunday without Saquon Barkley because of a hamstring injury. The Week 6 injury report also listed Will Shipley out with a foot injury after he was placed on injured reserve. Tank Bigsby was already on injured reserve.

Dameon Pierce handled the available rushing work in the 25-14 loss to Carolina. The Eagles’ official game recap credited him with all 35 of Philadelphia’s rushing yards, including his first touchdown since 2024. That performance helps explain the roster logic: Pierce is the current active-roster contingency, while Mitchell gives the team a proven practice-squad option if Barkley is not ready for Monday night.

Current running back picture

• Saquon Barkley: Remains the clear starter when healthy, but Philadelphia had not issued an official Week 7 game status as of Tuesday evening.

• Dameon Pierce: The most relevant short-term fantasy handcuff after handling the Week 6 ground game.

• Elijah Mitchell: Practice-squad depth for now. He would need to be elevated or signed to the active roster before playing.

• Will Shipley and Tank Bigsby: Both are on injured reserve and unavailable for the immediate Week 7 plan.

• Jaydon Blue and Carson Steele: No longer occupy active-roster spots after Tuesday’s moves.

Fantasy football impact

Barkley managers should not make a lineup decision from this transaction alone. The meaningful checkpoint is Philadelphia’s first Week 7 practice report and Barkley’s participation level. If he remains sidelined, Pierce is the priority contingency because he is already on the 53-man roster and received the Week 6 rushing work.

Mitchell is a watch-list player in standard leagues, not an automatic waiver claim. His résumé gives him more theoretical upside than a typical practice-squad signing, but fantasy managers need evidence of an elevation and an offensive role. In deep dynasty or 16-team formats, he can be stashed if bench space is flexible. Blue can be dropped in redraft formats unless another team claims him and immediately provides a path to touches.

Week 7 matchup and what comes next

The Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, October 26, at 8:15 p.m. ET. The extra day before kickoff gives Barkley additional recovery time, but it also delays the final injury designation. Dallas and Philadelphia are both 2-4, making availability in the backfield especially important for an Eagles offense that has struggled to replace Barkley’s explosiveness.

Fantasy managers should monitor three items: Barkley’s practice participation, any game-day elevation for Mitchell and Pierce’s passing-game usage. Football Nation’s NFL Week 7 injury tracker will carry the latest official designations, while the Cowboys-Eagles player-props guide will be updated as the market and injury context develop.

Bottom line

Philadelphia did not name a new starter Tuesday. It reduced uncertainty behind Pierce by bringing back a veteran it already knows, while moving on from Blue and Steele. For fantasy purposes, Pierce is the actionable name if Barkley remains out; Mitchell is the experienced insurance policy whose value rises only if the Eagles promote him.