The Philadelphia Eagles have five running backs on their roster, but it looks like they will only keep four on the 53-man roster — so who will be the odd man out?
A position that needed to be improved after the 2016 NFL season for the Philadelphia Eagles was running back. Ryan Mathews failed to get the job done as the lead back, and his injuries made it clear the Eagles needed to go in a different direction.
They drafted Wendell Smallwood in the 2016 NFL Draft, but like Mathews, Smallwood failed to stay healthy and failed to show he could be the guy. Had it not been for veteran running back Darren Sproles, the position was close to being the worst on the Eagles offense.
That weakness was taken seriously by Howie Roseman this offseason. Mathews was clearly on his way out, but the Eagles had to wait until he passed his physical while recovering from his injury. With the thought of him being off the roster, that left Sproles and Smallwood. Sproles is a great player in the NFL, but he is never going to be a guy you give the ball to 20 times a game over the course of the season. So the Eagles decided to add some running backs to their roster.
They signed former New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount, who led the NFL in rushing touchdowns last season. Philadelphia also drafted the NCAA all-time leading rusher Donnel Pumphrey in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. These two additions were significant for the Eagles because one helps in the short term and the other helps in the long run.
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Blount can plug in and become the workhorse back the Eagles need while Pumphrey will hopefully be the guy to replace Sproles after the 2017 season. Along with Blount and Pumphrey, the Eagles signed undrafted free agent Corey Clement. The former Wisconsin running back has been impressive during the preseason and has a chance to make the team.
After not having many options in the backfield last season, the Eagles have five running backs that could make their final 53-man roster. However, the Eagles will not carry five running backs, so it has sparked a huge debate on which running backs will make the roster and how it will play out with the ones who do make it.
For starters, I do not believe the rumors flying around (via Bleeding Green Nation) that Blount may not make the Eagles final roster. He has been close to awful this preseason. Yes, he did fumble and kill a great drive. Okay, he has 17 yards on nine carries. I understand all of that, but I also know that the offensive line has struggled to open holes for him.
I also understand that the Eagles do not have another running back on their roster that they can trust to carry the load. The key word there, “trust”. Yeah, you could say Smallwood could take over, or maybe Clement will surpass everyone and dominate in the regular season, but all that is just an opinion supported by zero facts.
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The facts are that Blount has shown he can carry the load, running for over 1,000 yards last year and rushing for 18 touchdowns. Do not let a poor preseason overshadow the need for a running back that the Eagles can give the ball to 15 or more times a game and Blount is that guy. Doug Pederson also gave Blount some confidence that he will be on the team saying (via Matt Lombardo), “He’s a beast of a runner. We’re not game-planning for these games. I’m excited he’s here, big part of our O.”
So, I believe he will make the final roster, and he will be the starter. Then obviously Sproles will be the third-down running back (unless the Eagles traded him). That is a position the Eagles can feel confident about because he has locked that role down for many years in the NFL. Both of these two veterans will be a big part of the Eagles offense in 2017. However, it is the other three running backs were the questions about who will make it get tough.
Smallwood, Pumphrey, and Clement all seem to be fighting for two spots. That means someone will be the odd man out. Pumphrey has been a dud all preseason and hasn’t shown much of the explosion many thought he would have in the NFL. Clement, on the other hand, has looked like he was the running back the Eagles drafted this preseason. He has been the only running back this preseason to break a long run, and he surprisingly has done well catching the ball.
The two rookies have been opposites, but at least they have been on the field, which is more than Smallwood can say. The second year running back has not played yet this preseason, and once again his injuries are to blame. With those three fighting for the last two spots, it is going to be interesting to see who wins the jobs.
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If I had to pick today, I would say the Eagles are leaning towards keeping Pumphrey and Smallwood, just because they have invested draft picks in both. However, if Smallwood can’t get back on the field this preseason and Clement keeps running hard; do not be surprised to see the Eagles 53-man roster to have Blount, Sproles, Pumphrey, and Clement. That means it is between Smallwood and Clement to be the odd man out when roster cuts come and the Eagles get to their final 53-man roster.