Philadelphia Eagles debate table: Miles Sanders shouldn’t be overworked

Let’s dissect the Philadelphia Eagles backfield.

It’s too early to make this claim, but after watching in Week 1, it’s hard to imagine that anybody the Eagles put in the backfield will be able to win versus an opposing defense with the guys they have blocking for them and with the plays Doug Pederson is calling.

Corey Clement and Boston Scott weren’t used much, but when they were, they weren’t very successful versus the Washington Football Team, and it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Sanders would have won more often than he lost under the same circumstances they faced.

Philly’s offense has lacked a bell-cow running back since LeGarrette Blount left. Josh Adams was okay for a season and actually led the team in rushing in 2018, but Philly ultimately decided that he wasn’t a part of this team’s long-term future (and he fumbled too much).

Despite popular opinion, holding on to Jordan Howard wouldn’t have fixed much either. He isn’t the sturdiest of backs, and in 2019, he didn’t carry the rock anymore after the Chicago Bears game thanks to a stinger that was supposed to mean Philly would monitor his injury and get him back on the field. Well, he was ‘day-to-day’ from the beginning of November until the end of December.

While some of those guys are gone, here’s the point. Philly’s best course of action, especially since they want to employ all of these small and shifty tailbacks, is to continue to employ the committee system. Sanders isn’t a very big guy. Clement ended his last two seasons on the team’s injured reserve. Scott is small. Jason Huntley is five-foot-nine and 194 pounds for goodness sakes.

You’ve seen how violent this game can be. The point is no one wants to see a broken-down version of Sanders by his fourth season. He most certainly can’t be ignored in this Eagles offense, but he can’t be the bell-cow. If Philly ignores that advice they could be looking for another starting running back soon.