Philadelphia Eagles: Is Josh Adams their new answer at running back?

Have the Philadelphia Eagles found an answer for their running game woes in the form of rookie Josh Adams?

We all come away from NFL games with our own takeaways. Sometimes, we’re alike in what we’ve seen. Sometimes, we open each others eyes to different perspectives. In the case of the Philadelphia Eagles‘ undrafted rookie free agent signing, Josh Adams, we all are on the same page.

Everyone came away from Philly’s fourth win of 2018 with Adams’ name on their minds.

Let’s talk a little bit about pressure.

Fair or unfair, Adams came into the Eagles organization with a little bit of pressure. None of that was his fault. It was actually the fault of Corey Clement.

When guys are picked up by NFL teams after going undrafted, there’s always the hope that one of them can pay huge dividends. After seeing Clement blossom into one of the important cogs on the Eagles’ offense, the same hope, whether fair or unfair, was heaped on Adams from the time he walked through the door.

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Ever since May 11th, we’ve discussed whether he’d make the team. Philly went the route of waiving him on September 1st. He was signed to the practice squad the next day. On September 18th, he was promoted to the 53-man roster.

Less than two months later, he was in London, on the field, and showing everyone watching that he could, very well, blossom into the guy that Eagles fans hoped he could be.

Now, let’s look at the numbers.

After racking up 30 yards on six carries in his debut, Adams hasn’t been seen or heard from much.

He got one opportunity to tote the rock over the next three games before picking up 17 yards on four carries versus the Carolina Panthers and then 61 yards on nine carries versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.

According to Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, who to play and when to play them is ultimately a joint decision between Jeff Stoutland, Duce Staley and himself. On Sunday, the scheme often meant Adams was the guy (and he was the hot hand).

Based on the eyeball test, that was the right idea and, clearly, one of the reasons why Philly won.

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The questions now are simple ones. Can this continue and can Adams truly be a bell cow ball carrier for this team? It’s too early to tell, but so far, this looks like it could be a good thing.

Here’s a quote from the coach:

"We just felt comfortable with Josh. The other two guys play a lot of special teams, keeping everybody fresh and rotated. Wendell did a nice job. Corey came in there, he runs extremely hard. Josh had the hot hand today, kind of kept him going."

Here’s another from Mr. Adams himself:

"You just never know, so each and every week we all prepare like we’re going to be the one in there, so we all have to stay ready and be ready, and come game time anybody could be called on… I’m blessed to be here, so I’m just staying patient and waiting for my opportunity whenever it comes. (It) just so happened that I got a little more today, but I try not to focus on that."

Heading into the bye week, minds are a little calmer than they were a week ago.

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