Wendell Smallwood: Preparing for year two with Eagles
You haven’t forgotten about Wendell Smallwood, have you?
Do you ever sit around and wonder what other people are thinking? Take Philadelphia Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood for instance. The word “rookie” will, never again, be placed in front of his name when referencing him. He possesses one of the most unique skill sets on Philadelphia’s roster. The Eagles have expressed excitement in having him on the team, yet when we discuss this team’s running back position, we talk about their holes. We talk about what they need, but we, rarely, talk about who’s already there.
Do you ever wonder what’s going through a player’s mind when that happens? For Smallwood, we’re hoping it fires him up.
The Pros:
The Eagles took Smallwood with the 153rd-overall pick in round five of the 2016 NFL Draft. Terms like “elusive” and “shifty” were used to describe him. The goal was to utilize their talented rookie in specific instances of games to catch defenses off guard. The Eagles hoped they could find ways to get him out in space and create matchup problems for opposing defenses. At times, the plan worked brilliantly. Think about his efforts against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third week of the season where he finished with 89 yards on 17 carries or his kickoff return against the Washington Redskins.
The Cons:
There are pros and cons to everything though, and just like we witnessed flashes of brilliance during his rookie season, there were some low points. Shiftiness sometimes brings up questions about toughness and durability. You always worry about whether these guys can handle the violent nature of the NFL.
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In their first meeting with the Dallas Cowboys, Smallwood learned an all to important lesson about ball security when Terrell McClain introduced himself to the young ball carrier in the Eagles backfield and forced a fumble. That play changed the complexity of the game entirely. Dallas would go on to win, and Smallwood’s fumble was seen as one of the major turning points.
Our questions about durability remain as Smallwood would finish the 2016 season on the Eagles’ injured reserve list. He totaled 77 rushing attempts for 312 rushing yards, 55 receiving yards on six receptions, 261 return yards and two touchdowns in his first NFL season.
None of that changes the fact that the running back position is still a concern in Philadelphia, and when we mention the Eagles’ offense, Smallwood’s name rarely comes up.
The future:
So here we are. A man, who was once a rookie, has adjusted to life in the NFL. The Eagles are looking for a legitimate starting running back. We wonder what Smallwood’s role will be. Every Eagles fan hopes Smallwood can be a younger version of Darren Sproles, but time will tell. The NFL Combine is approaching and will be at the end of February. March means the free agency period begins. In April, there’s the NFL Draft.
We’ll all just have to wait and see what happens.