Eagles situational players who will help make or break the 2022 season

When you think of field position, think Kenneth Gainwell and Arryn Siposs.

There’s a reason why we talk about third down so much. Convert enough of them, and you keep matriculating the ball down the field. Too many failures, and your punter gets a workout. That can lead to the opposing team dominating time of possession which can often lead to losses.

Correct us if we’re wrong, but it just feels like, in one season, Kenneth Gainwell has distanced himself from Miles Sanders as the better third-down tailback. He’s the better blocker and seems to be better at blitz pickup. He’s also a better receiver.

Boston Scott will have a huge role as well, but don’t be shocked if it’s Gainwell, not Sanders who’s on the field in crunch time.

In discussing the three phases of the game, we can often get locked into conversations about offense and defense. Special teams always seems to enter the discussion though, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, that tends to happen when something goes wrong, when your kicker misses a field goal or the other team’s return specialist houses one.

Arryn Siposs had an up-and-down season last year. At times, he showed a propensity to knock one inside the opposing team’s ten-yard line. At other times, it was almost as if he painted a target on the sideline 15 yards down the field.

The Eagles haven’t brought anyone in to challenge Siposs for the punter’s job, but that could change if he struggles. Again, field position means everything, and the Birds can’t put their defense in bad spots because their punter can’t stop shanking one.