What has happened to the Eagles' RB position?
From 1998 to 2014 those 3 were the franchise running backs for the Philadelphia Eagles. I started liking football when I was 8 years old and watched my first Super Bowl in 1995 when the 49ers defeated the Chargers in SBXXIX, but I didn't become a serious fan until about 2001. So as I started really becoming invested in the Eagles and saw their rise to become one of the better teams in the league during that time period, one of the staples of the team's success was having a go-to feature RB.
Duce was a very solid and reliable guy for Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb in the early part of their tenure. He was a north-south runner with good hands. His versatility as a runner, receiver, and pass blocker established the mold of what a RB in Reid's West Coast offense should be. It's not surprising that since being brought in as a coaching intern in 2010 he's been able to become a mainstay on the coaching staff, currently as the team's RB coach.
Then came the "Ultimate Weapon", Brian Westbrook. He took everything that Duce brought to the offense and took it to an elite level, running inside and outside of the tackles, catching out of the backfield or as a wide receiver, being depended on to pass block exceptionally well, and even returning punts when needed. McNabb might have been the franchise QB, but Westbrook was the engine that made that offense go. Defenses were most afraid of Westbrook, and they game planned for him specifically. The number of clutch plays that Westbrook has made during the regular season and playoffs is vast and unforgettable. He is the greatest Eagles RB in their franchise history.
But as Westbrook's time with the team came to an end, mainly due to a series of concussions, he was able to pass the mantle onto LeSean McCoy. McCoy might not have been as versatile as Westbrook was, but he was still very dangerous as a receiver while being a more naturally gifted and athletic runner. His elusiveness and change of direction ability was almost Barry Sanders-like. If it weren't for Chip Kelly trading the potential future Hall of Famer, McCoy would still be here in Philly wreaking havoc on defenses and giving this Carson Wentz-led offense a running talent they desperately need.
That leads to the big question I now have for this 2017 team: What has happened with our running backs? The one position that wasn't much of a worry for practically 17 straight seasons has quickly become one of the biggest question marks.
There was a mindset years ago that the RB position was becoming devalued. With more and more teams using a running back by committee approach as a means to preserve the health and longevity of the players, feature guys became scarce. Teams started to not pay big contracts to RBs and stopped drafting them in the first round because they felt it was no longer necessary to do so. But now that trend is starting to diminish a bit as well. Thanks to talents like LeVeon Bell, David Johnson, and Zeke Elliott teams are once again beginning to see the importance of having a bell-cow player lining up in the backfield. With the influx of RB talent that this past NFL Draft provided, which could be a historically talented class, the league once again is set up to put more of a spotlight on those guys, even if it remains a pass heavy league. So then with all this league wide talent at RB, how come the Eagles are in the predicament they're in?
It wasn't too long ago that the team seemed to have "too much" talent at RB. Remember the 2015 season when the Eagles had DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, and Darren Sproles? Although it was a headache some weeks trying to figure out how many touches each player should be getting and how they should be used, the team still at least had talent there. But after Chip Kelly was booted out of town, Murray was traded to the Titans (which contributed to the eventual drafting of Wentz), leaving the oft injured Mathews as the lead guy. But as good as Ryan Mathews is, he still wasn't on par with the type of talent Philly was used to having when it came to their starting RBs. He wasn't a long term solution. Wendell Smallwood, whom Duce Staley raved about and wanted on the team, was drafted in the 5th round of the 2016 draft and showed a couple flashes here and there. Injuries ended up derailing both Mathews and Smallwood last season, leading to Mathews' eventual release and even more questions about the RB corps going forward.
As mentioned earlier, the 2017 RB draft class could potentially be a historic one. With the event taking place in Philadelphia, it was important for Howie Roseman, Joe Douglas, and the rest of the Eagles' front office to do well. You can't properly evaluate the success of a draft class until a few years down the line, but the picks needed to find a balance between addressing the positions of need while selecting the best talent available.
A pass rusher, at least 2 CBs, and a RB were the team's biggest needs, and through the first 2 rounds the Eagles did a solid job. They drafted Derek Barnett, who was the best pure pass rusher in the draft after Myles Garrett, and Sydney Jones, who before his injury was being regarded as a potential elite talent at CB. Howie now needed to grab a RB, and the one player I had been praying for them to draft for months, Kareem Hunt, was prime for the taking in the 3rd round... until the Chiefs traded up and took him only a few picks before the Eagles.
As heartbroken and angry as I was, I knew there were still good players left on the board going into Day 3. And in the 4th round the Eagles made their move by trading up and drafting... Donnel Pumphrey. Pumphrey was someone that I did like. Despite his lack of size/strength he was able to break Ron Dayne's FBS rushing record, and that's no accomplishment to brush aside. However, he is never going to be a feature back at the pro level. He was clearly brought in to be groomed as Sproles' eventual replacement. Regardless of whether you think he'll be good or not, we can all at least agree on that. So if that's the case, the Eagles left the 2017 NFL Draft without a true feature RB. Corey Clement was signed as an undrafted free agent, and although I was excited about him because he's a local kid, he's still JAG (Just A Guy). You can find a Corey Clement almost anywhere. LeGarette Blount was signed as a free agent, but I knew he wouldn't be anything but a short yardage guy.
I'll admit, I brushed the issue aside for a while. I was too excited about the other players the Eagles acquired and about getting Pumphrey. I didn't acknowledge the possibility of Smallwood not being able to develop into that every down guy that the coaches keep preaching he can be, mainly because of the buzz he was drawing during training camp. Many reporters were saying that he was clearly the best runner on the team. He got hurt, again, and missed the first two preseason games, but looked good against the Dolphins in the third preseason game. There was hope that he could be the guy after all, and maybe that's why Howie didn't draft a better RB. Maybe they all believed in Smallwood. But that hope and faith has quickly faded.
Coach Pederson talked about using a committee at RB, but no matter how you spin their game plan, the production of their running game has been non-existent after two games.
Smallwood has a total of 7 carries for 8 yards. Not only has he been a liability in pass protection, but he has difficulty finding running lanes and hitting them. Plus, I still haven't seen him being the receiver he's been hyped up to be.
Blount had 14 carries for 46 yards in the season opener against the Redskins, but in Week 2 against the Chiefs he didn't get a single carry. He's too slow and has such lackluster footwork that even when the running lane is there, he's not explosive enough to hit it effectively.
The overhyped preseason stud, Clement, hasn't even sniffed a carry yet, although you could argue that it's getting to a point where he should get some looks.
Pumphrey wasn't even on the active roster and was put on IR due to a torn hamstring.
Sproles led the team in carries against the Chiefs with 10 and ran well for 48 yards to go along with his usual role as a receiver, and that's great. He needs to continue to get around 15-20 touches a game. But he isn't a player that should be carrying the workload, we all know that. He needs someone to share it with, but so far no one has stepped up to be that guy.
Let's not forget about Coach Pederson and the absurd run/pass ratio that happened against the Chiefs: 69 total plays, 13 runs, 19% run ratio. 19%! I understand that Pederson wants this to be a passing team that goes through Carson Wentz. That's completely fine, especially with the upgraded receiving corps we have now compared to last season. But passing 81% of the plays is too extreme. Not only are you becoming way too predictable for the defense, but you're also exposing your QB way too much to the opponents' pass rush by putting your offensive line in a very tough spot. Offensive linemen love run blocking because that's when they're able to attack the defensive linemen. It helps them get into a groove and build some confidence. But if they're dropping back 81% of the plays and constantly taking the punishment from pass rushers, it's only a matter of time until the protection starts to break down. Anyone who watched the Eagles-Chiefs game witnessed it. The line was protecting Wentz beautifully most of the game, but in the 4th quarter the Chiefs started to get through more and more. That's when Wentz threw that unlucky interception and that's when the momentum swung in the Chiefs' favor for good. You cannot pass the ball 81% of your plays and be successful. Getting that percentage down to 65-70% would even make a huge difference.
Maybe the coaching staff doesn't believe there's enough talent at RB right now to justify running the ball more. I don't necessarily agree with that take because I think the act of simply executing run plays helps, but let's say that is the case. The blame then falls back on Howie Roseman and Joe Douglas. They were in prime position to acquire a RB that could be the bell-cow back (Kareem Hunt!) for this team in a draft that was historically deep at the position, but they walked away empty handed. That is inexcusable.
It wouldn't surprise me if Howie made a trade for a RB. Jeremy Hill in Cincinnatti feels like a guy who is bound to get traded because the team now has rookie Joe Mixon in addition to the talented "scat back" Gio Bernard. Hill is the odd man out there. And I'm sure there are a couple other names on the trading block. But all that would show is his acknowledgement of a problem that occurred because of his own neglect of the position. And any guy you bring in through a trade isn't likely to be a long term solution anyways. I've become a believer in Howie and I think he's done a great job since coming back after the whole Chip Kelly debacle. But he hasn't been perfect by any means. He's made a few questionable moves, but it's the move he hasn't made that is hurting the team the most right now.
No matter where you point the finger, the fact remains that the Eagles have a serious problem with their running game early on in the 2017 season, and that's something new to us Eagles fans. Duce, Westbrook, and Shady left a great legacy with this franchise, and what was amazing was the transition from one to the other. It was almost seamless. I've always had pride in the fact that the Eagles had a great starting RB on their roster, but that's no longer the case. I was waiting during the 2017 NFL Draft to witness the Eagles potentially add another great name to the RB lineage I've become so accustomed to seeing, but I'm now waiting for 2018. We all are... the team included.
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