The following is a continuation
of a pre-training camp series view of Eagle roster thoughts, here for the quarterbacks. “The
Ugly” here would consistently be “Player has a significant injury effecting
performance, availability or both.” Also, projections can be extreme
(Example, who could have predicted Carson Wentz would be as bad as he was in
2020, historically bad). I am trying to take realistic forecasts.
Miles Sanders: Bad- Sanders
is a dilemma. 0 touchdowns for a
starting rb last year is clearly a poor optic, but one tied to opportunity and
circumstance- While the 0 touchdowns appears, at best strange and at worst an
issue, a combination of the Eagle RB committee (Jordan Howard, Kenny Gainwell
and Boston Scott scored 21 touchdowns in 2021) and Jalen Hurts, who ran for 10
more. Make no mistake, Sanders, a 2nd
round pick, wants to cash in after this season having been limited to a rookie salary
wage for 4 years thru (and including) this season. His best opportunity to do that will be to
stay healthy, play a high percentage of snaps, and get a good number of touches
in what for the Eagles projects as a balanced attack. That is what Eagle fans want, so why is this
bad? As an Eagle Fan, if Sanders
succeeds, he’ll likely be moving next season to a team that prioritizes the
skills of an individual running back more than the Eagles (who believe the
success of the running game is predicated on the quality of the offensive line,
which is where they’d rather commit their cap dollars). If Sanders fails, the Eagles likely won’t
bring him back. In fact, the most likely
scenario where Miles returns to Philly in 2023 is one where he gets hurt in
2022, and the Eagles sign him to a 1-year cheap 2023 "prove-it" deal recovering from
injury. Thus the outlook for Sanders is a true
Catch-22.
Good- He’s still only 24, a second-round
pick 3 years ago, working hard this off season for his 2nd NFL
contract (next off season). He’s already
rushed for 2,439 yards and 9TD’s while averaging 5.1 yards per carry for his
career. In addition, he has caught 104
passes for 864 yards and 3 TD’s. Sanders
has the 8th highest average yards per carry in NFL history for
running backs with 500+ carries. He’s 1
of only 7 running backs ever to start their careers with 3 seasons of 750+ yard
and 4.5 ypc (Sanders is at 5.1!). The
biggest stat for Sanders 3rd year was what happened when the Eagles
handed him the ball in 2021: 5.5 yards per carry, his best performance yet as
an NFL RB, and one NOT dependent upon his patented breakaway long gains (his
longest carry in 2021 was "only" 38 yards, so those “breakaway runs” he had in years 1 & 2 did not {positively} impact his totals as much as in the past).
Kenny Gainwell: Bad- In the Raiders game last year, an October
fumbel by Gainwell, who was replacing an injured Miles Sanders, caused Nick
Sirianni to lose confidence and play more of Jordan Howard and Boston Scott in
Sanders absence. As a sophomore,
Gainwell must recoup his coaches lost confidence, and overcome the notion that
he cannot handle plays in volume. Still, mostly per his diminutive size, it’s
unlikely Gainwell ever becomes a full three-down back.
Good- Nothing wrong with being a
pass catching back. Gainwell has clear
skills in this area, and playing alongside TE Goedert and the receivers, Gainwell
will likely see attention from LB’s he can beat like a drum. He is the only RB under contract beyond 2022,
so the Eagles will want to know what they have in him. But even if his “floor” is limited to a 3rd
down type role, Gainwell can be a valuable player for the 2022 Philadelphia
Eagles. And 3rd down back is NOT his
ceiling!
Boston Scott: Bad- The primary 2022 back is Miles Sanders. The secondary 3rd down back is Kenny Gainwell. Scott tested free agency this off season and returned to Philly with a modest veteran deal (2.25 mil, but only 1.1 mil guaranteed). Over the last few seasons, Scott has played a lot for the Eagles but not by design. Last year, his first carry was in Game 7! Boston Scott is back on this team as a 2022 insurance policy.
Good- In the last two years,
Scott has played in 32 games with 8 starts and has 747 rushing yards (4.5 per
attempt) with 8 touchdowns and 295 receiving yards with another score. He is a
Giant killer, since he seems to reserve his best performances for his play against
NY. He’s Sanders Insurance: “I’m not
really worried about what my role is or isn’t,” said Scott in late May. “I come
here, and I show up and work. I just want to be a little bit better than I was
last year, competing against myself, and wherever the cards fall, that’s where
they fall.”
Jason Huntley: Bad-
Drafted by the Lions in 2020, he was waived and claimed off waivers by the
Eagles, but has seen sporadic activity since then, and, like 2021, is a likely member of
the practice squad again in 2022.
Good- Huntley played in the
Eagle “JV week 18 game" against the Cowboys (the Eagles played their backups
vs. the Cowboy starters in a meaningless game for Philly). In addition to being the Eagles best kick
returner in 2021 (albeit in a tiny sample size per limited opportunities), Huntley showed an edge in that JV game (13 carries, 51 yards, 84
yards on 3 kick returns). The Eagles got Huntley from the Lions, and per
Daniel Kelly from “All Lions, ”of all the players I have evaluated on
the Lions last season and headed into this season, nobody has
excited me more than Jason Huntley… I cannot say enough good things about Huntley
after evaluating him, and I cannot question the Lions organization harder”
(about cutting him). Huntley has talent,
and that’s what you want at any depth
position. Huntley allows the Eagles to
possibly carry only 3 running backs on the 53, knowing that when injury
occurs, he can provide quality play as an RB or STer.
Kennedy Brooks: Bad- Brooks
is an unrestricted Rookie Free agent unlikely to make the roster. He’ll be on the 2022 practice squad. Per Profootballnetwork,
he “was not much of a pass-catching threat for a (College) offense (Oklahoma)
that threw the ball often. Lacks the speed necessary to turn the perimeter.
Not a truly creative ball carrier.”
Good- CBS on the RFA, “Brooks
is a damn good natural runner. He's not fast, he's not a freaky athlete. He (just)
runs with stellar vision and rarely, if ever, goes down on first contact. He averaged nearly four yards AFTER contact
in 2021 and forced 60 missed tackles. And Brooks was that type of runner in
2020 and 2019 at Oklahoma (also). He cruised to three-consecutive
seasons averaging 7.0 yards per carry in his 472-carry career.” The Eagles are betting a patient, competent
running back like Brooks can follow the blocking of one of the best offensive
lines in the NFL to become, as his college pedigree displayed, a part of a highly
successful running back by committee. He’ll
get stashed on the practice squad this year as a possible option for 2023.
Jordan Howard: Bad- Howard
is not on even the 90 man roster. There’s
a reason. Availability. Howard is 27, RB’s age quicker than any other
position, and Howard is aging quicker than most RB’s. While his shoulder injury in 2019 (6 weeks) and
his knee injury in 2021 (2 weeks) in 2021 are examples of his wear and tear even
after healing, it is his recurring cervical neck stingers (most recently in Dec
2021) that are the greatest cause of concern.
Howard has a punishing downhill running style ideally fitted to the
Eagles O-line, especially late in games.
But his style/effectiveness experience a dramatic drop off as the
stingers reduce his playing effectiveness even before they totally prevent him
from playing. A healthy Howard would be
a star behind this Eagle O-line. He
simply cannot remain healthy.
Good- Teams are aware of Howard’s
issues, and even then, most teams do not have the quality offensive line that can maximize a healthy Howard. The Eagles
do. Howard will be part of an “extended
bench” for the Birds, not officially on their roster, yet someone they can call
in a “break glass for emergency” mode.
If the Eagles need Howard, he’ll be there. Hopefully, though, that need, if it occurs, will be a
short term one!
Eagles Lesson: The Eagles can bargain basement hunt at the RB
position. Their top-notch offensive line,
plus the running threat and production of Jalen Hurts took their “average” pool
of backs to the top of the NFL in 2021 rushing numbers. They did not need to force running back talent
this off season given their current depth, scheme and overall roster talent.
They’ve had success with rookie draft picks, rookie free agents, veteran free agents
and trades when required, since their alternative investments and strategic
scheme amplify any RB talent acquired.
Comments
Post a Comment