Doug Pederson on what he likes about Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders

This year, the Philadelphia Eagles have two new running backs in Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders for head coach Doug Pederson to work with.

Similar to the last few offseasons, things are different in the Nova Care Complex for the Philadelphia Eagles. Being that guys get traded/retire, contracts expire, and upgrades have to be made, no team ever comes out of the offseason the same as the previous year. For better or for worse, the Eagles are a much different team ahead of the 2019 season.

Some would say the Eagles have one of the most talented teams in the NFL on paper, and it’s hard to disagree. Where they were weak in starting talent last season, they upgraded. And where they were thin in-depth, they built on with a rookie or a free agent. The Eagles weren’t totally depleted everywhere last season, but there were a couple of position groups that looked lousy at times.

Perhaps the biggest question mark heading into the 2019 offseason was “what’re the Eagles going to do at running back?” Jay Ajayi, who is coming off of a season-ending injury, was a free agent. Darren Sproles, who is 36-years-old with nagging injury concerns, became a free agent as well. Corey Clement is still around, but it’s clear he shouldn’t be higher than third on the depth chart.

The other guys such as Wendell Smallwood, Josh Adams, and Boston Scott are going to be on the roster bubble, fighting for a deep position on the depth chart. Philly likes a committee, but it was clear that their weapons for the said committee weren’t sharp enough to pose a threat to the opposition. Therefore, the Birds upgraded. They started by getting Jordan Howard from the Bears. They then followed by drafting Miles Sanders out of Penn State. Suddenly, the Eagles are much better..

How does Doug Pederson view the backfield now?

As of right now, the Eagles’ backfield looks a lot better on paper. Although we haven’t seen these guys in action quite yet, it’s doubtful that we don’t see immediate positive results. I mean, if Eagles’ head coach Doug Pederson is excited, then everybody else should be too.

Recently, Pederson joined NFL Network’s Total Access to discuss the state of the backfield. Clearly, the Eagles play-caller is excited about the new weapons he has to work with on offense. Although he didn’t want to give away too many details, Pederson did go in detail a little bit about the newest additions to the group. Here’s what he had to say about Jordan Howard:

"“Jordan has kind of been one of those running backs in Chicago that was very productive. I’ve always liked Jordan Howard and what he’s done in his young career. He’s one of the top running backs, when you look at some of the production numbers. He’s one of the top guys, he’s up there with some of those big-time running backs. So, he’s going to bring stability. He’s a big, powerful back, he’s a downhill runner. I’m excited about his opportunity here in Philadelphia.”"

Now, his quote on Miles Sanders:

"“We felt real comfortable with him [Miles Sanders], we liked everything about him, great kid. Again, great production. He sat behind Saquon Barkley there at Penn State and really learned from him, and when he had an opportunity to produce, he did. It really gives us a little more stability now going into this season with those two guys.”"

What is our takeaway from Pederson’s quote? Well, it sure sounds like Howard is going to be the number one guy on the depth chart. He issues power, stability, and veteran experience. We do believe Sanders will get his fair share of snaps, but the Eagles are likely to take advantage of their one and only year with Howard while he’s still cheap. Then, moving forward, the Eagles will probably lean more heavily on Sanders in the future.