Philadelphia Eagles: Grading the 2018 rookie class performances
By Alex DeMarzo
RB Josh Adams
Coming out of Notre Dame, Josh Adams was picked up by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent. Although Adams didn’t make the initial 53-man roster, it wasn’t long till Philadelphia took him off the practice squad to promote him to the active roster. Adams NFL debut came in Week 3 against the Colts where he had six carries for 30 yards.
Throughout the season Adams saw a considerable amount of reps due to long-term or even season-ending injuries to Darren Sproles, Jay Ajayi, and Corey Clement.
Adams was Philly’s leading rusher in 2018 with 511 yards and three touchdowns on 120 carries in just 14 games. Additionally, he averaged 4.3 yards-per-carry.
However, Adams was not much of a receiving threat out of the backfield. He only caught seven passes on 13 targets for a total of 58 yards.
After Week 11 Adams earned the starting job and began getting the majority of the reps in a ‘running back by committee’ system. In the two weeks following, Adams rushed for 169 on 44 attempts and one touchdown. During this span, Adams averaged just over four yards-per-carry.
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When the postseason rolled around the Eagles completely abandoned Adams where he only had one rushing attempt for two yards.
According to Doug Pederson, steering away from Adams in the Wildcard Round was a ‘game-specific’ decision.
The reemergence of Sproles probably played a huge role in that decision, but the fact the Eagles were 0-for-7 on third-and-fourth and short yardage situations when Adams ran the ball didn’t help his case.
Adams has shown potential to be a good back in this league, but his future with the Eagles may be uncertain. He could be fighting for his spot in training camp. This offseason is crucial for Philadelphia to address the running back position if they want to get back to the Super Bowl.
Grade: B-