2 Reasons to elevate Elijah Holyfield to this Philadelphia Eagles active roster
By Hunter Doyle
The Philadelphia Eagles need to consider elevating Elijah Holyfield.
There is no debating that Miles Sanders was supposed to be the bell cow for the Philadelphia Eagles this year, but now, following an injury that’s due in part to Philly trying to turn Sanders into LeGarrette Blount, there’s reason to believe that was a theory that could have been thought about a little longer.
For the first time in a few years, the ‘Birds’ have moved away from the running back committee approach. Boston Scott and Corey Clement have gotten some leftover carries each week, and in the past few games, Scott has been getting around seven to 13 offensive snaps while Clement has been on the field for about three to six.
Scott hasn’t been too impactful when he’s been on the field but quite frankly there hasn’t been much room for him to work with. This is a young offensive line so it’s understandable that the run game hasn’t been up to the usual Eagles standard. It would be unfair to assume that Scott was just a flash in the pan last year whether he’s playing well or not.
There hasn’t been much real estate, but the Eagles haven’t been using him appropriately either. It would seem that pitches, swing passes, jet touch passes, and screens would be the correct approach. The inside run game and screen game have been snuffed out by opposing defenses all year long. The hope is the ‘Giant Slayer’ can save one of his better performances for Philly’s Week 7 tilt with the New York Giants. Sanders won’t be available, so expect Scott to have a bigger role.
Outside of Sanders and Scott, there hasn’t been much to discuss about Philly’s backfield, and if Sanders isn’t available for a considerable amount of time, the ‘Birds’ are going to be in a heap of trouble because they’re so thin on the depth chart at the position. Might it be time to call up Elijah Holyfield from the practice squad to help with that? Here’s why Holyfield should get a promotion sooner rather than later.