Philadelphia Eagles: Time is running out for Donnel Pumphrey

• Once again, Philadelphia Eagles second-year running back Donnel Pumphrey will miss practice due to injury.

Getting drafted to an NFL franchise is a great honor for young players. Unfortunately though, when a young player gets drafted and signs the four-year rookie contract, the duration is not entirely set in stone. Philadelphia Eagles second-year running back Donnel Pumphrey is the perfect example. Back in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Eagles played the waiting game to draft a running back and snagged Pumphrey later on in the fourth round.

When Pumphrey entered onto the Eagles roster, everybody was quickly impressed with his speed. His five-foot-eight-inch frame isn’t exactly the ideal size for a running back in the pro’s, but Eagles veteran Darren Sproles proves that as long as you have the speed and the vision, size won’t make a difference in most cases.

Heading into the 2017 preseason, Pumphrey was expected to get a ton of work. After a few rookie mistakes early on, Doug Pederson and Duce Staley seemed a little more hesitant about utilizing the first-year back as much as they initially wanted to.

Plus, undrafted rookie, Corey Clement was making his own case for a roster spot at the time. I don’t think we need to really go into depth about how that ended up turning out but let’s just say that Clement won’t be desperately fighting for a roster spot anytime soon. Despite being the one who actually got drafted, Pumphrey will be the guy who is sitting on the team’s chopping block as training camp progresses. And so far, Pumphrey is not winning his uphill battle.

Showing up is half the battle:

Before Saturday’s open practice, Eagles coach Doug Pederson adressed the Pumphrey situation once again to the media. NJ.com’s Zack Rosenblatt reported that Pumphrey will indeed miss practice once again. Earlier last week, Pumphrey was rumored to have suffered a lower-body injury, which kept him out of the preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It was evident that Pumphrey was hit with strike one as he needs every single rep in the preseason to try and make the roster. As of right now, he is in a duel between three running backs along with third-year veteran Wendell Smallwood and undrafted rookie Josh Adams. Both guys were suited up and ready to go this past Thursday as they were issued six carries a person.

Last year, Pumphrey was lucky to find himself on the Injured Reserve as Clement contributed to a Super Bowl. This season, he may not be as lucky. With Josh Adams looking promising, Pumphrey’s days in Philly are becoming numbered as he adds another injury to surpsingly long list of health issues during his short two years in Philadelphia.