NEW ORLEANS — During his time at Clemson University, running back Will Shipley became the first football player to receive All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team recognition at three positions in one season, doing so at his primary spot on offense, as well as at specialist and all-purpose player.
Now he sits behind the prolific Saquon Barkley and backup Kenneth Gainwell on the Philadelphia Eagles’ running back depth chart.
Shipley will suit up for the Eagles (17-3) when they face the Kansas City Chiefs (17-2) in Super Bowl LIX inside the Superdome on Sunday (6:30 p.m. Eastern on Fox), but he’s not likely to spend much time on the field with Philadelphia’s offense unless something has gone very wrong for the NFC champions.
Still, like other backups and role players, the 5-foot-11, 209-pound rookie is taking his situation in stride.
“It’d be a travesty if I was in the wrong perspective and didn’t learn as much from them as I could,” said Shipley, who played three seasons at Clemson before being selected by the Eagles in the fourth round of last year’s NFL draft.
Shipley has received less than 5% of the Eagles’ total carries this season, but he has shined on special teams, including a forced fumble two weeks ago during a 55-23 rout of the Washington Commanders in the conference championship game. Philadelphia fourth-year wide receiver DeVonta Smith said football’s so-called “third phase” is where Shipley’s impact has been the biggest to date.
“I’m going to prepare like the starter, but also understanding I’m not sure when that opportunity is going to come,” Shipley said, adding that the team’s starters have “got so much experience, and they’ve got so much knowledge that they’re willing to share.”
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts praised Shipley and the reserves who don’t receive “alpha roles.” The fifth-year pro said Shipley brought an “eagerness in the offseason to work,” and his effort caught the attention of Barkley, who said “the most impressive thing for me is just how locked in he is as a rookie, coming in, asking questions and how smart he is.”
Head coach Nick Sirianni recognized that players such as Shipley and receiver Jahan Dotson can make a difference in a game like the Super Bowl and said “one of the major truths of football is you can’t be great without the greatness of others.”
Though he holds the title of starter, Dotson is another player who has gone under the radar, overshadowed by others in a star-studded offense. The former Penn State standout was the No. 16 pick of the 2022 draft, spending two seasons with the Commanders before being traded to NFC East division rival Philadelphia, but his production has dropped over the course of his pro career.
He echoed Shipley’s mantra, though, saying he prepares as if he holds the role of A.J. Brown or Smith, the team’s top two receivers.
“I feel like this year I’ve had to embody that more than any year I’ve ever played football,” Dotson said. “I don’t see the type of targets that obviously other guys see, so I’ve got to prepare as if I’m going to see those so when my opportunity comes I can make the most of it.”
AP photo by Jacob Kupferman / Kansas City Chiefs backup tight end Noah Gray, right, scores a touchdown as starter Travis Kelce celebrates in the background during a regular-season game against the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 24 in Charlotte, N.C.The Chiefs, in the Super Bowl for the fifth time in six seasons and seeking their fourth title in that span — including an unprecedented third straight Lombardi Trophy — are well aware that being successful goes beyond how the starters perform.
Just like Dotson, Kansas City offensive lineman Hunter Nouzard was an All-Big Ten honoree at Penn State, but now he takes a backseat to center Creed Humphrey, a three-time NFL All-Pro.
Nourzad has appeared on special teams in all 19 games this year between the regular season and the playoffs, with all 31 of his offensive plays coming in the regular-season finale as Kansas City rested its biggest stars with the AFC’s No. 1 seed for the playoffs already secured. He established his routine in college under Nittany Lions offensive line coach Phil Trautwein and said he has adapted it to the NFL.
“It’s really about embracing your role,” Nourzad said. “Everybody has a set role on the team, and we all embrace it … really embodying it as much as possible and taking pride in it. Literally any little thing that I can do to make the team .001% better, I’ll take every opportunity I can to help us win.”
Although star tight end Travis Kelce draws the lion’s share of attention, Noah Gray has been productive in a limited role while backing him up. Gray totaled 437 receiving yards and five touchdowns during the regular season but has just 13 receiving yards in the playoffs to Kelce’s 136.
Despite a lack of recognition, Gray, a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft, is enjoying a career year. And just like Kelce, he is eyeing a third consecutive championship. Hoisting the Lombardi Trophy is the only thing that matters for Gray, and it’s entirely possible that he makes a play that makes it possible.
After all, relatively few football fans had heard of David Tyree before he made a critical catch when the New York Giants upset the previously unbeaten New England Patriots at Super Bowl XLIII to cap the 2007 season, denying their bid to join the 1972 Miami Dolphins with just the second perfect season in NFL history.
“I just worry about wins and losses,” said Gray, who added that he’s “fortunate to be here, playing in the Super Bowl. So this is all that matters, and really excited about playing a great Philadelphia Eagles team.”