The Philadelphia Eagles have so many injuries that anything is on the table at this point, including calling up an old friend from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kenny Gainwell, to potentially reunite.
Eagles fans remember him as Kenneth Gainwell, the running back the team drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Gainwell's connection ran deep in Philly, as he is the cousin of team legend Fletcher Cox.
In his first four years with the Eagles, Gainwell was a reliable backup running back, rushing for 1,185 yards, catching for 721, and scoring 13 total touchdowns. He then went to the Steelers last year and had a career-high 1,023 yards and eight touchdowns. With how things are going in Tampa this year, he might not mind coming back home for another run.
Kenny Gainwell could be back in an Eagles uniform if the right trade offer is made
This season has not gone according to plan for Gainwell, who has rushed for 44 yards, caught for 54 yards, and scored one receiving touchdown in five games. He is finding himself buried on the depth chart, with little playing time
The Pewter Plank's Josh Crysler suggested that the Eagles and Buccaneers come together on a trade. Philly might be able to get Gainwell back.
"Gainwell makes perfect sense as a potential addition who could contribute in both the rushing game and receiving games. He spent the first four seasons of his career in Philadelphia and even won a Super Bowl with the Eagles.
The Buccaneers should try to take advantage of Philadelphia’s desperation by acquiring some future draft capital while sending Gainwell to a familiar team where he could have a more prominent offensive role. Everybody wins."
The Eagles' running back situation is a disaster at this point. Saquon Barkley hasn't practiced in over a week with a hamstring injury, Tank Bigsby is on IR with a knee injury, and Will Shipley is also hurt and expected to miss a few weeks with a foot injury.
Philly also happens to be pretty bad a running the football. They are in the bottom 15 in rushing, averaging just 91 yards per game and are coming off a game where they only had 22 yards in their Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Adding a running back almost feels like it needs to happen, despite having Dameon Pierce, Carson Steele, Jaydon Blue, and Ja'Quinden Jackson on the team. Pierce did not show that he can come in and help this offense in any way with the top three backs out.
Gainwell would be great to have since he is a good runner, but more importantly, a great receiving back. He has shown off his versatility over the past year, and with the offensive line being a mess for the Eagles, they need to lean on the running backs more in the passing game for quick passes.
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Sure, the Eagles have a lot bigger problems to solve on the roster, but a Day 3 draft pick for Gainwell would make a ton of sense to help Jalen Hurts and the running game out.
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