Philadelphia Eagles still have an important role for Corey Clement
Philadelphia Eagles running back Corey Clement was back in action on Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens.
Last season wasn’t the greatest for the Philadelphia Eagles backfield. They started off with a hardy bunch that featured Jay Ajayi, Darren Sproles, Corey Clement, and Wendell Smallwood. Three of those four mentioned backs ended up suffering injuries that were significant enough to keep them out for quite some time.
For Corey Clement, his season was over in early December. The loss of Clement stung for the Eagles, but it didn’t exactly kill them. For whatever reason, the guy just wasn’t himself during year two. It was frustrating to watch him struggle, as it was evident that a Sophomore slump kicked in.
Before going out for the year with a mysterious knee injury, Clement finished the season off with 90 total touches for 451 scrimmage yards and two total touchdowns. His contributions to the offense weren’t nearly as significant in 2018, despite garnering more work.
Now that it has become evident that Clement can’t lead a pack alone, will he get left behind as the Eagles upgraded their backfield with multiple acquisitions this offseason?
How will the Eagles implement Corey Clement?
The first patch-up job for the Eagles backfield was trading for Chicago Bears’ Jordan Howard. Then, the Eagles went and drafted Penn State’s Miles Sanders in the second round of the draft. The front office didn’t just stop right there either.
Before training camp kicked off, the Eagles went and brought Darren Sproles back to the East Coast before he decided to retire — piling up a bunch of talent creating a crowded backfield once again. Now, the Eagles suddenly have eight running backs on board.
Right away we can assume that Donnel Pumphrey and Boston Scott are out. That leaves the Eagles with six backs. Regardless of whether they keep four or five guys, Clement will surely make the cut. The Eagles proved that on Thursday night as the third-year back returned to the field and got immediate reps with the starters against the Ravens.
Knowing that Clement will make the final roster, what will his role be on the Eagles? First, let me tell you that it is highly doubtful the Eagles just leave Clement on the sidelines watching. This guy will have a role in the offense as long as the Eagles are running with a committee approach.
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As we learned in 2017, less is more for a guy like Clement. Last year, he had to take on a larger workload, but he wasn’t nearly as productive. As a role player in 2017 though, Clement was a jack of all trades who thrived on limited touches, similar to how they used Sproles in the past.
With Sproles on board, we can still expect the veteran to get his fair share of touches out of the backfield as well, but don’t be surprised to see Clement out-carry or out-catch Sproles in 2019. After seeing what Clement was capable of doing during his rookie season, the Eagles will surely have a unique role for him within the offense whether it is a crowded backfield or not. Get ready to see Doug Pederson, Duce Staley and Mike Groh get creative with the backs.