Don’t rule out Eagles bringing Boston Scott back post-NFL Draft

It hasn’t been as noisy as some would have liked over the past few days, but the Philadelphia Eagles are making their mark on the free-agency frenzy. The splash signing that everyone was hoping for came during the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period as it was announced that Haason Reddick was coming home.

The New Jersey native played his college ball at the University of Temple before the Arizona Cardinals selected him one spot before the Eagles drafted Derek Barnett in the 2017 NFL Draft. Now, almost five years later, Philadelphia brings Haason in to replace him.

Tuesday didn’t bring us that level of signing, but there was still some news to report. According to an official report from the team’s official website, they’ve agreed to terms on one-year contracts with defensive back Andre Chachere and wide receiver Greg Ward. They also placed a tender on restricted free agent Nate Herbig.

The guard/center hybrid will have another year to develop in Philadelphia’s offense, but now that we’re past the 4 p.m. EST deadline the team had to tender Boston Scott has come and gone, he’s officially an unrestricted free agent. Don’t be surprised if he’s back though.

Here are two thoughts following the Eagles’ decision not to tender Boston Scott.

No one should have been surprised if Philly cut Scott or kept him. Here are three things to think about following their decision though.

1. Despite being one of this team’s best players on offense, the organization doesn’t seem to be in love with him.

Let’s look at what the Eagles have at the running back position now: Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell, and Jason Huntley. That’s it. That’s the list.

The Eagles should have learned by now that Scott is one of their better players. Still, even with that being said, they’ve never been in love with him.

Once pitched to us as a poor man’s Darren Sproles, Scott rushed for 373 yards and seven touchdowns on 87 carries. He hauled in 13 receptions for another 83 yards.

Scott is a more secure ball carrier than Sanders. He doesn’t fumble nearly as often. He’s more consistent than Gainwell and more durable than Jordan Howard (who’s also a free agent now but a man that some value more). Scott is also just a better talent than Huntley.

Philly isn’t in a position where they can dismiss the players they have that are productive, so Scott could return to the roster. The only question is when that may happen if they do.

2. We’ve often seen the Eagles add cornerbacks and running backs later in the offseason.

Long seen as the position with the shortest shelf life, running backs aren’t valued as much as they once were. Leonard Fournette, Sony Michel, and Melvin Gordon III are all available (and we rarely discuss any of them).

The Birds often add running backs and cornerbacks late. See guys like Ronald Darby, Steven Nelson, and LeGarrette Blount if you need examples. They also like to reacquire guys they already know before they add players they’re unfamiliar with.

So yes, Scott has his walking papers for now. Still, if this team gets in a pinch or doesn’t like what they see in the draft, they could give Boston a ring. One thing to keep in mind, and this could be the most important, is this. Based on the fact that they didn’t tender him, they could get him back at a discount. Now that we mention it, that could have been the plan all along.