Philadelphia Eagles way-too-early roster projection: Skill positions
By Hunter Doyle
Who makes it out of the Philadelphia Eagles crowded RB room?
Running Backs (4): Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell, Kerryon Johnson, Jason Huntley
Third-year star Miles Sanders is a lock to make the team. While Kenneth Gainwell is a fifth-round pick, he is a third-round caliber running back at the very least. Here at ITI, we believe Gainwell was easily the third-best running back in the draft. Look for Sirianni to utilize the Memphis swiss army knife similar to the way in which Nyheim Hines was utilized in Indianapolis.
Next, the Eagles are likely going to keep one of their veteran power running backs and maybe both. Jordan Howard might still have some juice left but we’re taking Kerryon Johnson for now. Both have had their injury issues. Both still have intriguing skillsets.
It’s a tough decision but when the Birds signedJohnson less than one month after re-signing Howard, it felt like they were looking to upgrade. Not to mention, Johnson took a pay cut which makes it easier to keep him. Either will be an upgrade at RB3 from Corey Clement. Kerryon is a massive upgrade in pass protection. Both could make the roster but the Birds might be able to shelve Howard on the practice squad which they did last year.
It would also be a little bit cheaper to keep someone like Jason Huntley who just turned 23-years-old in April. He might not have made the Detroit Lions roster, but he was a fifth-round pick for a reason. Let’s also not forget that Travis Fulgham didn’t make the Lions roster and we got a glimpse of his potential.
Going back to Nyheim Hines, we’ve talked about Huntley’s similarities to him in the past. If anything happens to Gainwell, Huntley can fill in the swiss army knife role with more explosiveness than Boston Scott. The area where Scott has the edge is experience but if Huntley gets more reps he can certainly match Scott’s performance as an Eagle thus far…maybe not against the New York Giants though.