Philadelphia Eagles: LeGarrette Blount is showing heavy interest in returning
Philadelphia Eagles running back LeGarrette Blount is set to become a free agent soon. How would he feel about returning to the Eagles in 2018?
The Philadelphia Eagles struck gold with veteran running back LeGarrette Blount this past season. The 31-year-old running back signed on with the Eagles as they were already kicking off the first set of offseason workouts. When he couldn’t reach an agreement with his former team, the New England Patriots. Blount decided that he was better off moving on from the 2016 Super Bowl Champions.
Although the football world was skeptical of the move. The Eagles eventually found out that they had something special with Blount. Not exactly because of his on-field contributions. But because of his leadership and postseason experience.
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If you compare Blount’s 2016 season with the Patriots with his one season with the Eagles, it look’s like the Patriots got the best of him. He finished with 1,161 yards and a league-high of 18 touchdowns. With the Eagles, he racked up only 766 yards with two touchdowns in the regular season.
So while his two full seasons do not really compare well. His three postseason touchdowns in Philadelphia are what made him really valuable. Blount averaged a touchdown a game in the playoffs, including the Super Bowl. Without his power-style running in the postseason, there’s no telling how well the Eagles would’ve done without him. So while the Eagles money situation does not look so good. There is still a possibility that Blount could be signed on for next season.
Blount wants to be here:
When LeGarrette Blount inked a deal with the Eagles, many skeptics were worried that he would be more of a cancer to the locker room. After a full season with the Eagles, those skeptics couldn’t be more wrong. The truth is, Blount actually showed interest in coming to Philadelphia for more than the money. While he was being offered deals by not only the Eagles but the New York Giants, he ultimately saw something more special in Philadelphia.
Related Story: Don’t Rule out Blount From Returning to Philadelphia in 2018
Blount blocked out all the outside noise that was negative towards Philadelphia. He eventually decided that they were a special organization despite what the media says. Not only did Carson Wentz, Doug Pederson and a Super Bowl victory convince Blount that he wants to be here for the long-haul. But Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley left a pretty big impact on him. According to Pro Football Talk, Here’s what Blount had to say about his short time in Philadelphia:
"“It’s early, so we’ll see,” Blount said. “Obviously, I like it a lot there. They like me a lot there. It’s a mutual respect and mutual agreement thing about how we feel about each other. You guys know how I feel about the guys, the team. I love those guys and I can’t stay enough about Duce just for the simple fact of how well I was coached there and how good he helped me understand things. I feel like Duce is one of the best running back coaches, one of the best coaches I’ve ever had in my entire life. Obviously, I want to be a part of that for a while so we’ll see how it goes.”"
Do they bring him back?
The chances of Blount returning to Philadelphia are pretty high. Considering he would be one of their cheaper offseason signings, Howie Roseman could probably get some good value out of Blount. The three-headed monster strategy finally worked for the Eagles and it would be a major plus if they could keep the Blount, Jay Ajayi, and Corey Clement band together for at least another season.
Considering the Eagles will probably make some major cuts in the near future to clear up space, don’t be surprised if Blount is one of the reasons why. Clearly, the player-organization chemistry is sky high in Philadelphia, so the Eagles will probably do everything that they can to make it happen.