Kennedy Brooks potentially gives the Eagles’ running back room something everyone’s craving.
Part of what made LeGarrette Blount and Jordan Howard so well-received by the Eagles contingent was their fearlessness, that willingness to fight for extra yards and take on tacklers. There’s just one problem. Running backs have a short shelf life in the NFL.
Howard was as tough as they come, but with his running style, there’s no way he’ll ever be able to complete an 18-week, 17-game schedule, especially as he gets older. The Eagles brass knows that, and that’s probably a great indicator of why he isn’t on the roster now.
Philly has five talented backs on the squad, four of which have been on the team for at least one year (Miles Sanders, Jason Huntley, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott), but in terms of body type and skill set, they all bring the same thing to the table. They’re shifty and able to make plays in space, and that’s why Kennedy Brooks‘ addition makes so much sense.
He gives the Birds something that they don’t currently have, a workhorse that can gain the tough yards in goal-line and short-yardage situations as well as someone that can eat up clock and chew up minutes late if Philly is leading in the fourth quarter and looking to salt things away by running the ball.
There’s no reason why Brooks can’t beat out Huntley for the fourth spot on the running backs depth chart. He’d add a new dynamic to Philadelphia’s offense if he was able to do so.