Competition
Posted: May 9th, 2021 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 11 Comments »The key part of free agency is over. The draft is over. But that doesn’t mean the offseason is over. As Howie Roseman has pointed out quite a few times, the Eagles will continue to look for ways to improve the roster.
Roster Move: #Eagles have claimed RB Kerryon Johnson off of waivers. pic.twitter.com/wLCDFnBHR2
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) May 7, 2021
I love this move. Here is something I wrote about him prior to the draft in 2018.
RB Kerryon Johnson – 5-11, 213 – Auburn – The Eagles have publicly shown no interest in KJ, but he looks like an Eagles RB. Can catch the ball. Can block. Has terrific feet and is able to make defenders miss. Just feels like one of those players who could turn into a monster in the NFL.
Johnson averaged 5.4 yards per carry as a rookie and showed real promise. He suffered a knee injury and missed part of the season. Johnson got hurt in 2019 as well. He was healthy in 2020, but the team had drafted D’Andre Swift and signed Adrian Peterson. They combined for 270 carries. Johnson only got 52 carries and caught 19 passes.
Obviously the new Lions coaching staff (which includes RB coach Duce Staley) did not see Johnson as worth keeping around. He has shown NFL talent and hasn’t even turned 24 so it surprises me to see Detroit cut him loose. Maybe they feel the knee injuries are going to be an ongoing issue.
Johnson doesn’t come to Philly as an answer. He isn’t guaranteed a roster spot. All he is guaranteed is a chance.
This move is about competition. Look at the RB group now vs last summer.
2020
Miles Sanders
Boston Scott – 6th round
Corey Clement – UDFA
Michael Warren – UDFA
Elijah Holyfield – UDFA
Adrian Killins – UDFA
2021
Miles Sanders
Jordan Howard – 5th round
Kerryon Johnson – 2nd round
Kenny Gainwell – 5th round
Boston Scott – 6th round
Jason Huntley – 5th round
Elijah Holyfield – UDFA
Adrian Killins – UDFA
First, there are simply more bodies. More importantly, the quality is better. Nobody will confuse this bunch with the ’97 Eagles (Watters/Garner/Staley/Turner), but this group is better than a year ago. There is more size, speed and overall talent.
There is competition.
Sanders is going to be the lead back. After that, everyone is battling for a roster spot and playing time. Make players earn their roles. Last year there was a lot of hope at the RB position and it didn’t work very well.
Nick Sirianni has talked about how much he believes in competition. He wants players to battle it out. Push each other. Earn jobs. That’s how you bring out the best in them, at least in theory. Not every player responds well to competition, but that’s part of the point. You want to weed out the players who don’t have the right mentality for your team.
Let’s talk more about Johnson. He is a good runner. He can block and catch. The big question is how the knee injuries have affected him. Did he lose speed? Agility? Only time will tell what he can and can’t do, but this is absolutely a player worth taking a chance on. If his knee holds up, he could be a good role player. Johnson can be a pure backup or he could be the third down back.
We know a couple of the guys will disappoint. That’s just reality. The key is for a few of them to pan out. If that happens, the Eagles will have a good group of RBs with versatile skill sets.
*****
How many compensatory picks should the Eagles expect to receive in the 2022 NFL Draft? https://t.co/dNlX6QS03u
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) May 6, 2021
Jimmy is the king of comp picks. Find out how things look for 2022.
*****
Teams will mine the waiver wire for offseason depth, as was the case with WR Matt Cole.
The former 49er was awarded to the Jets off of waivers yesterday, but the Eagles and Saints both attempted to claim the former DII standout at McKendree too.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 6, 2021
Going back to the theme of competition, the Eagles were looking to add to their WR corps.
Cole would have been a slot guy with good return skills. We don’t know if the Eagles are looking for that kind of player or if they are just looking for a talented receiver to add to the mix.
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[…] Competition […]
[…] Competition […]
[…] Competition […]
[…] Competition […]
[…] Competition […]
[…] Competition – Iggles BlitzNick Sirianni has talked about how much he believes in competition. He wants players to battle it out. Push each other. Earn jobs. That’s how you bring out the best in them, at least in theory. Not every player responds well to competition, but that’s part of the point. You want to weed out the players who don’t have the right mentality for your team. Let’s talk more about Johnson. He is a good runner. He can block and catch. The big question is how the knee injuries have affected him. Did he lose speed? Agility? Only time will tell what he can and can’t do, but this is absolutely a player worth taking a chance on. If his knee holds up, he could be a good role player. Johnson can be a pure backup or he could be the third down back. […]
[…] Competition – Iggles BlitzNick Sirianni has talked about how much he believes in competition. He wants players to battle it out. Push each other. Earn jobs. That’s how you bring out the best in them, at least in theory. Not every player responds well to competition, but that’s part of the point. You want to weed out the players who don’t have the right mentality for your team. Let’s talk more about Johnson. He is a good runner. He can block and catch. The big question is how the knee injuries have affected him. Did he lose speed? Agility? Only time will tell what he can and can’t do, but this is absolutely a player worth taking a chance on. If his knee holds up, he could be a good role player. Johnson can be a pure backup or he could be the third down back. […]
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[…] Competition – Iggles BlitzNick Sirianni has talked about how much he believes in competition. He wants players to battle it out. Push each other. Earn jobs. That’s how you bring out the best in them, at least in theory. Not every player responds well to competition, but that’s part of the point. You want to weed out the players who don’t have the right mentality for your team. Let’s talk more about Johnson. He is a good runner. He can block and catch. The big question is how the knee injuries have affected him. Did he lose speed? Agility? Only time will tell what he can and can’t do, but this is absolutely a player worth taking a chance on. If his knee holds up, he could be a good role player. Johnson can be a pure backup or he could be the third down back. […]
[…] Competition – Iggles BlitzNick Sirianni has talked about how much he believes in competition. He wants players to battle it out. Push each other. Earn jobs. That’s how you bring out the best in them, at least in theory. Not every player responds well to competition, but that’s part of the point. You want to weed out the players who don’t have the right mentality for your team. Let’s talk more about Johnson. He is a good runner. He can block and catch. The big question is how the knee injuries have affected him. Did he lose speed? Agility? Only time will tell what he can and can’t do, but this is absolutely a player worth taking a chance on. If his knee holds up, he could be a good role player. Johnson can be a pure backup or he could be the third down back. […]
[…] Competition – Iggles BlitzNick Sirianni has talked about how much he believes in competition. He wants players to battle it out. Push each other. Earn jobs. That’s how you bring out the best in them, at least in theory. Not every player responds well to competition, but that’s part of the point. You want to weed out the players who don’t have the right mentality for your team. Let’s talk more about Johnson. He is a good runner. He can block and catch. The big question is how the knee injuries have affected him. Did he lose speed? Agility? Only time will tell what he can and can’t do, but this is absolutely a player worth taking a chance on. If his knee holds up, he could be a good role player. Johnson can be a pure backup or he could be the third down back. […]