The Philadelphia Eagles have some exciting questions ready to be answered as training camp and the coming season both unfold, whether we're talking DeVonta Smith as the new WR1, Makai Lemon stepping into a crucial role as a rookie, or how Vic Fangio's defense takes a step forward.
But, as camp approaches, there are some questions that fans may not necessarily be asking, or maybe they just don't care as much about.
These are questions that are still worth asking, however, and could impact the team later on in the season and playoffs.
One of those questions is whether or not veterans Dameon Pierce or Elijah Mitchell will end up making this roster as the fourth running back behind Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley.
At first glance, you might not give it a second thought. Who cares?
But, with Barkley another year older, we are one play away from either Pierce or Mitchell being an active part of this roster on game days -- and that matters.
Dameon Pierce comes into Eagles training camp as more of an enigma and an answer
Focusing specifically on Pierce, he was ultimately cut by Houston last season and later caught on with the Kansas City Chiefs. This was notable because the Chiefs had a massive problem on the ground and no real answer to get them going outside of Patrick Mahomes, surprisingly enough.
FanSided's Chiefs expert, Matt Conner from Arrowhead Addict gave me a little more insight from the Kansas City side of things and, well, it left me asking even more questions in the end.
"That Pierce couldn't wrestle any reps away from the likes of a limited Isiah Pacheco or a plodding Kareem Hunt is telling ... Andy Reid's staff were making weird choices on who to play (or not) all season long at multiple troubled positions. Pierce was just another piece of evidence in the case against a frustrating offense that might have been efficient but it was also unremarkable."
Conner is as tuned-in as any Chiefs writer there is, and if he's even at a loss for words as to why Pierce couldn't obtain more than four carries in Kansas City, then Eagles fans are even worse off than they might have thought.
He's quite the mystery at this stage in his career. Right out of the gate, as a rookie with the Texans, he showed some promise as a bulldozing back who can set the tone.
And then, Pierce just began to fall off. In Year 2, his total yards were cut down by a little more than half. In Year 3, he was an afterthought. Outside of a random 92-yard explosion, Pierce only rushed 39 times for 201 yards in 11 games.
Then, part way through his fourth season in the NFL, the Texans let him go.
After signing with the Chiefs, Pierce was undoubtedly going to get a real chance in place of the ghost of Kareem Hunt and a struggling Isiah Pacheco, right?
Wrong.
But, why? What had to happen for him to not even get a shot from Andy Reid?
I suppose we'll only know the real story if either Reid or Pierce want to come out and tell it, some day.
As for his chances in Philadelphia, Pierce gets a fresh start and an opportunity to re-establish himself as a physical presence. It isn't going to be easy for him to make the roster, though, as Mitchell fits the system a bit better.
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If Pierce comes out and has a strong camp, and is able to show us a little bit of a return to form in the preseason, then maybe his career isn't quite close to over. Maybe, just maybe, he's got a chance to stick around.
But it'll be tough.
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