Which Eagles running back will be the odd man out?

With the Eagles having five running backs on the team, which one will be inactive on game day?

All throughout the offseason, there were questions concerning the running back position. While the Philadelphia Eagles finished the 2017 NFL Draft with only one running back acquired, there were plenty of concerns about who was the key guy. It didn’t take long until the Eagles signed LeGarrette Blount out of free agency. When Blount was brought on to the team, it was pretty obvious that he was the guy who would lead the team in carries.

The undrafted free agent, Corey Clement really made things interesting. Clement came in and impressed everybody from the jump. Everybody thought for sure that the progress of Clement would force the Eagles to cut fellow rookie running back, Donnel Pumphrey. Surprisingly, the Eagles kept five running backs on board when the 53-man roster was announced. Blount, Pumphrey, Clement, Wendell Smallwood and Darren Sproles were all apart of the final cuts. Later on, they would sign Kenjon Barner and trade for Jay Ajayi.

Now we all knew the Eagles would use a committee of running backs, but five just seemed a little excessive. Especially since a guy like Pumphrey was clearly unproven after a disappointing preseason. There was also Smallwood who spent a lot of the preseason nursing injuries. The only clear-cut backs who proved they deserved carries were Blount and Sproles.

The Proven:

After Sproles suffered a season-ending injury in week three, the Eagles were surprisingly all of the sudden thin at the running back position. Pumphrey was out for the season along with Sproles and Smallwood was continuously battling injuries. At that point, all the Eagles really had was Blount and Clement. Although it seemed like a weak situation, they stepped up to the challenge.

Clement has proven that he belongs in the rotation on gameday. Through nine weeks of the season, Clement has seen the end zone five times. He may not be the go-to back for the Eagles run game, but he definitely takes advantage of every opportunity.

Blount has been pretty solid himself. He currently has 504 yards off of 109 attempts. Although he may only have two touchdowns, the Eagles are getting exactly what they want from the veteran running back. His contributions in the run game have made the Eagles balance out their playcalling very well.

Adding Ammo:

The Eagles may have had a crowded backfield, but it just didn’t seem to be enough for the coaching staff. On the day of the NFL trade deadline, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman sent a fourth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for Ajayi. The third-year veteran really shook things up in the Eagles backfield.

The acquisition of Ajayi clearly shows that the Eagles do not see guys like Clement and Smallwood as the long-term answer in the backfield. That doesn’t mean that they will not be utilized, though. Coming off of a big victory against the Denver Broncos, Clement reached the end zone three times. Clement, Ajayi, and Blount all contributed big time to a 150-plus yard rushing day.

What happens now?

Although everything worked out fine, it was still surprising to see that the Eagles had five runners active last Sunday. When Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was asked about the running back situation, he made it clear that five running backs will not be suited up each week. Since tight end Zach Ertz was ruled out a couple hours before kickoff, Pederson chose to suit all running backs up.

In two weeks, the Eagles will have to make a decision to decide who suits up and who remains inactive. Normally, you would think the undrafted rookie would ride the pine on this one. But after a dominant week from Clement against Denver, it’s almost impossible to even consider that.

At this point, it is clear that Barner is here for one thing. That is to return punts. Without a Sproles injury, there is no question that Barner would not be on this roster. As Barner has proven to be the only trusted returner on the team, then who is the odd man out?

It is pretty obvious that Smallwood has barely been utilized. There is no real reason why, but it is clear that Clement demonstrates better value. The two backs are very similar, but it seems as though Clement was better at taking advantage of his opportunities. At this point, the Eagles seem to be very comfortable with leaving Smallwood out.

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After all, the Eagles waited until the last couple of offensive drives to even put Smallwood out on the field. His five carries in garbage time were very telling. It shows that the Eagles do not really have much interest in playing the second-year back. Obviously, nothing is set in stone yet on who will be the odd man out. But one thing is for sure, somebody will be in street clothes on game day.

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