Philadelphia Eagles: Expectations for what’s left of Kenneth Gainwell’s year
![Kenneth Gainwell #14, Philadelphia Eagles (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) Kenneth Gainwell #14, Philadelphia Eagles (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/bd97d283f379ebc0eaa1761d5a0cf7c9c61eeeec6887c4e4b91e6a65ddd698ad.jpg)
Expect to see significant contributions from the Philadelphia Eagles rookie.
Okay here’s the skinny. The Philadelphia Eagles have the potential to field one of the more impressive running back units in the entire NFL. Miles Sanders doesn’t consistently get the credit that he deserves, but he’s a gamer. Then, there’s Boston Scott. Out of the three, he may be the team’s best receiver at the tailback position.
In Week 1, Scott didn’t see a single offensive snap but saw 14 on special teams. You can best believe that the Eagles coaching staff will find ways to involve him more and more as the year goes on, but it appears that they’ve settled on Quez Watkins as their kick returner.
Sanders and Gainwell are obviously the top two tailbacks on the depth chart. Sanders saw 47 offensive snaps in Week 1, roughly 66 percent of the team’s total. Gainwell was on the field for 25 snaps. That rounds out to 35 percent of the team’s total.
Both were productive, but you have to be encouraged by what we saw from Gainwell. He had a first-half touchdown called back by a penalty but maintained his composure which made his second-half touchdown all the more reason to celebrate.
It was good to see things work out for him as a part of this offense. Expect him to continue to get touches as we move through the regular season.