Saquon Barkley’s backups watched him make history. Sunday, they’ll try to play up to ‘the standard.’

It is not abnormal for a rookie running back picked in the fourth round or later in the NFL draft to make an immediate positive impact.

Bucky Irving is over 1,000 rushing yards and counting to go with seven scores for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tyrone Tracy has more than 1,000 all-purpose yards and has six total touchdowns for the New York Giants. Ray Davis has more than 100 touches for the Buffalo Bills and has five total touchdowns.

Maybe in an alternative universe, Will Shipley could have a stat line like that. It was the one he dreamed for himself.

“I’m very competitive and that’s something I hang my hat on and have been since I’ve been a very young age,” Shipley said. “Whatever organization I went to I wanted to play and be the guy.”

It was obvious, though, when the Eagles selected Shipley with the 127th pick, two picks after Irving went to the Bucs, that Shipley’s expectations would need to change. At the top of the depth chart was Saquon Barkley. Next on the list was an established backup in Kenneth Gainwell. Shipley, who amassed more than 3,000 all-purpose yards in three years at Clemson, had to adjust his expectations and set different goals.

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Barkley, Shipley said Friday, helped him do that. He didn’t know the star running back beyond watching him on television and knowing he went to Penn State and was from Pennsylvania. As far as expectations went, he knew Barkley as a great football player but not much else.

“Within the expectations that I did have, he knocked them out of the water and that’s just kind of the type of person he is,” Shipley said. “He’s been there for me for sure and those difficult conversations, just in terms of having to switch my mindset.

“He helps me really through a lot of things. He’s that type of guy. He’s a leader in all ways. The standard he sets in the room, it’s something you got to live up to every day. Whether you’re having a good or a bad day, you got to meet those standards.”

Shipley will try to do that this weekend. Barkley and many of the Eagles starters will rest for the season finale Sunday against the Giants, the No. 2 seed in the NFC already locked up. That means Gainwell and Shipley will likely handle the bulk of the carries from the hands of third-string quarterback Tanner McKee. The backup running backs have spent the majority of this season watching Barkley surpass 2,000 yards and make history, and now they’ll get to play.

“Just go out there and do my job,” said Shipley, who is officially listed as questionable but expects to play after missing last week’s game with a concussion. “Whatever that looks like. Whatever the end product is, I’m going to be happy with it as long as I grade out right and my footwork is correct, I’m detailed, and hitting on my fundamentals.”

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Shipley has just 20 carries for 50 yards and has not been officially targeted with a forward pass (though he did catch a backward swing pass that was ruled a carry). Gainwell has 64 carries and 78 total touches through 16 games, down from 114 touches in 16 games last season.

They have spelled Barkley at times when he is tired, or other times have benefited from Barkley’s helping the Eagles to a big lead.

From Gainwell’s perspective, not much changed for the running backs this year. The unit was still led by coach Jemal Singleton. Gainwell’s role was primarily the same as it has been. Barkley, Gainwell said, “kind of adapted to our culture.”

“It’s not a one-man show,” Gainwell said. “We’re all trying to help each other out and do this thing together.”

It’s been fun, Gainwell said, watching Barkley.

“It’s been crazy, man, to see what he’s been doing,” Gainwell said. “I’m happy for him. I’m pretty sure everyone knew once he got behind this offensive line that he would do some crazy things. It was only a matter of time for him to get here and get acclimated to what’s going on and then take off from there.”

Shipley said he wasn’t really surprised by any of the record-setting. He joined the Eagles for offseason workouts and watched the way Barkley worked through training camp. The player he had watched on TV worked really hard to be one of the league’s best. That part was obvious.

The other stuff — the way Barkley leads, the way Gainwell, even as a backup, handles himself — were refreshing things to learn.

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“Coming into an organization and having leaders like that, it may go unnoticed, but it’s something that has pushed me to be my best and made me realize not only how much potential I have but how hard I got to work to get there,” Shipley said.

It’s unclear how the Eagles plan to divvy up the running back workload with Barkley resting. Gainwell may not play the whole game either. What’s clear is that Shipley is set to see his most live work since the preseason, and he spent some time talking with Barkley during the week about the moment.

“We’ve had some conversations,” Shipley said. “But at the end of the day it’s just like, ‘Are you ready to go?’ Hell yeah, I’m ready. This is what I’ve been prepping for my whole life, to be an NFL player. Not that I haven’t been for the past 16 weeks, but the opportunity is here to kind of show everybody the work and the preparation that’s gone into it all. Just looking forward to going out there and doing my thing. That’s been his message, too. Just go out there and do your thing.”

The Eagles play in Week 18 against the New York Giants. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.