Inside the Iggles
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Philadelphia Eagles: What’s next for the young running backs?

By Justin Grasso

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 30: Josh Adams #33 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball against Brandon Bryant #40 of the New York Jets in the third quarter during the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 30, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Jets 10-9. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 30: Josh Adams #33 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball against Brandon Bryant #40 of the New York Jets in the third quarter during the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 30, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Jets 10-9. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 30: Matt Jones #38 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball against Brandon Bryant #40 of the New York Jets in the fourth quarter during the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 30, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Jets 10-9. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 30: Matt Jones #38 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball against Brandon Bryant #40 of the New York Jets in the fourth quarter during the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 30, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Jets 10-9. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Matt Jones

I’m genuinely shocked that Matt Jones made it this far into the preseason without getting the boot. His mistakes with dropped passes and fumbles in the last two games were simply unacceptable for a four-year veteran. Give the Eagles some credit for having an incredible amount of patience for simple mistakes. They stuck with Jones way longer than they probably should have.

The fourth and final preseason game wasn’t a bad showing for Jones. He carried the ball nine times, for 54-yards. He also scored the only touchdown that the Eagles put on the board in the past two weeks. While he redeemed himself, let’s just remember that this was a veteran playing against the Jets’ “B-team.” This clearly felt like a favor from the Eagles, and the team gifted Jones with the ability to showcase his talents one last time for the 31 other teams around the league.

Josh Adams

Ever since Josh Adams signed with the Eagles immediately after the NFL Draft, everybody quickly became familiar with him. The former Notre Dame back was quite talented but dealt with too many injuries throughout his time in the NCAA. We saw his injury issues first-hand as Adams missed all of OTAs and even the second week of the preseason.

Luckily, the Eagles do not need Adams to take an extensive amount of carries if they do happen to keep him around. It’s obvious that he can pound the rock on a limited amount of snaps. Put him behind the Eagles starting offensive line, and Adams may always come up positive in yards.

It’s going to be a close call, but the Eagles should hold onto Adams as their fifth runner. If they attempt to waive him to the practice squad, he may never make it back to Philly. Late-round talent worth a roster spot does not come around often. The Eagles got lucky once again, and need to take advantage of it. Keep Smallwood and Adams for 2018.

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