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Did Corey Clement let Howie Roseman down before trade the deadline?

By Justin Grasso

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 28: Corey Clement of The Eagles runs out to the pitch for the third quarter during the NFL International Series match between Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on October 28, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Kate McShane/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 28: Corey Clement of The Eagles runs out to the pitch for the third quarter during the NFL International Series match between Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on October 28, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Kate McShane/Getty Images) /
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Corey Clement told the Philadelphia Eagles that he should show them why they shouldn’t trade for a running back. How’s that going?

Somehow, the Philadelphia Eagles have gone through the entire first half of the season without making any trades. Last year, Howie Roseman was ruthless with making trades from the offseason, up until the deadline. This season, we are impatiently waiting to see if Roseman makes multiple moves, if any, before the deadline on Tuesday at 4 pm.

Obviously, a trade for the Eagles would indicate that they are in win-now mode, which they should be. With a 4-4 record, something needs to happen. There are plenty of positions in need, but only so many pieces available. One highlighted position would be running back, but the guys who are currently on the roster were out to prove everybody wrong about that evaluation.

With Jay Ajayi out for the year, and Darren Sproles mysteriously missing all of this time, the Eagles are left with Wendell Smallwood, Josh Adams, and Corey Clement. Smallwood has done well all year long, but doesn’t really take the offense over the top. Adams is finally starting to hit his stride, and Corey Clement seems like he has fallen off tremendously.

What happened to Clement?

A couple of weeks ago, Corey Clement approached Howie Roseman to tell him that the Eagles don’t need to trade for a running back. Roseman told him to “Prove it.”  Since that went down, Clement has carried the ball 23 times for 55 yards and a touchdown. All of that went down in a three-game span.

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I think it’s pretty clear that the Eagles do not think very highly of Clement being a feature back. Although there were whispers in the offseason that the Eagles planned to hand over three-down duties to Clement after Ajayi walks in 2019, it looks like that really isn’t the case. Clement is a situational guy, and there’s no other way to put it.

However, Clement’s underwhelming trial period does not mean the Eagles will make a move for another running back. It just indicates that the Eagles will stick with the heavy dose of Josh Adams, and Wendell Smallwood for the time being. It’s unfortunate, but Clement just doesn’t bring the same spark to the Eagles offense as he did last year.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Two weeks ago, Clement averaged 0.8 yards-per-carry against the Carolina Panthers, while Smallwood averaged 3.6, and Adams averaged 4.3. Then, against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Clement averaged another ugly 1.5 yards-per-carry, with Smallwood averaging 3.0, and Adams led the pack with an impressive 6.8.

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At this point, there’s really no excuse for Clement’s troubles. His vision hasn’t been as clear, and he’s going down much easier than he did last season.

Maybe his quad injury is taking a bigger toll on him, or maybe he’s just not able to handle the pressure of being highlighted as a potential feature back. Whatever the problem is though, it’s very disappointing. Especially after Clement talked himself up to Howie Roseman.

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