Philadelphia Eagles: Corey Clement can make a comeback as third RB

Philadelphia Eagles running back Corey Clement could have the opportunity to contribute to the offense moving forward.

Remember in Super Bowl LII when Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels talked about the one unknown player who seems to break out on the NFL’s biggest stage every year? In 2017, that player ended up being Philadelphia Eagles undrafted rookie running back, Corey Clement.

Two years ago, Clement barely made the team as the Eagles hosted a crowded backfield. Once Darren Sproles got hurt, though, the Eagles had no choice but to allow Clement to step into more of a significant role. Even with LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi sharing carries as the one and two running backs on the depth chart, Doug Pederson still made sure to sprinkle in some Clement.

By no means was Clement a star in 2017. However, he did have a breakout season in his own way. With the one-two punch of power backs that was Blount and Ajayi, Clement brought the change of pace to the backfield and was quite successful. He wrapped up the Super Bowl season with 444 scrimmage yards and six total touchdowns in the regular season.

The following year, the Eagles backfield didn’t look quite as strong. Therefore, Clement was forced to step up into more of a significant role. But not only did his season end after eleven games due to injury — Clement also underperformed as he became more of a focal point for the offense. With six more touches in five fewer games, Clement accounted for 451 yards and only two scores.

Clearly, Clement isn’t ready for a prominent role out of the Eagles backfield. Hence the reason why they decided to leave him solely as a special teams player in 2019. As the fourth running back on the depth chart, the Eagles decided not to even go that far into the rotation. Therefore, Clement has zero offensive touches through five games. Will that change soon, though?

Will Clement get a chance at redemption?

Back in 2017, Clement benefitted from a Darren Sproles injury, which occurred early on in the season. This year, Sproles once again sits in front of Clement on the depth chart and just went down with an injury that will surely take the 36-year-old veteran off the field for several weeks.

The Eagles haven’t utilized Sproles much in the offense, but he has acquired an average of roughly 25-percent of the offensive snaps thus far. Though his playing time was beginning to decrease a bit, the Eagles could look to give Corey Clement those snaps, who could look slightly better than Sproles, who hasn’t exactly done a great job of making defenders miss this season.

We’ve said it many times last season that less is more for Clement, who thrives as a third-string, change of pace type of back. If the Eagles like to look to the past for present success as they did with Sproles, they should consider looking at Clement’s 2017 production. Who knows, he could get back to his rookie ways moving forward, which is a good thing.