The RB Mystery

When Miles Sanders left for Carolina in free agency, it opened up the Eagles running back situation. Holdovers Kenny Gainwell and Boston Scott hoped this would mean more touches for them. Rashaad Penny signed as a free agent, hoping for a breakout season. The Eagles traded for D’Andre Swift during the draft. His ability as a runner and receiver was too good to pass up for a reasonable price.

So who is the lead back?

We don’t know.

Some say Gainwell will be the guy. He’s been getting the most touches in camp. They see that as the coaches trusting him and wanting him on the field. Gainwell is a solid runner and talented receiver. I can see the argument for him.

There is also an argument against him.

On Eagles RBs.

Gainwell is dependable and plays bigger than his size. Can catch it, is surprisingly in good short-yardage. He is a lock.

But he also had ZERO explosive runs last year.

If Penny/Swift get hurt, they’ll fall back on “dependable.” But the Eagles want “explosive.”

— Joe Dolan (@FG_Dolan) August 10, 2023

I think this is what makes him more of a situational kind of guy.

The Eagles know they can depend on Gainwell to get three yards when they need him to.

But when they're playing their normal offense, they want explosives. He doesn't give them that.

— Joe Dolan (@FG_Dolan) August 10, 2023

Nick Sirianni has said repeatedly how critical explosive plays are. He wants a RB who can get 20 yards, not just 4. To be fair, Sirianni used a different standard than Joe for explosive runs. Sirianni considers runs of 10 or more yards to be explosive. Gainwell does have some of those. But not much beyond that. Gainwell has 177 regular season touches in his career. The longest play is a 20-yard catch. That’s just not ideal. It is fair to wonder if this is a weird anomaly and the big plays will come with more touches, but 177 isn’t nothing. That’s a decent amount of opportunities. And Gainwell is running behind a good OL and playing with a star QB.

In Rashaad Penny’s last 176 carries (2021 & 2022), he has runs of 62 and 41 yards. He averaged more than 6 yards per carry. And he sure looks like a great fit for the Eagles offense.

https://twitter.com/UnderdogFantasy/status/1690091716517462018

One stat that Nick Sirianni prioritizes is explosive plays; he defines an explosive rush as 10+ yards.

Rashaad Penny gained 10+ yards on 16.5% of his carries during the past two season. That ranks No. 2 in the NFL among RBs with 100 carries. Only Nick Chubb has a better rate.

— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) March 14, 2023

Penny sure sounds like the guy that Sirianni will want to get the ball to. He can deliver chunk plays on a regular basis.

D’Andre Swift has a run of 50 or more yards in each of his three NFL seasons. He had a 50-yard run against the Eagles last year so Sirianni saw up close and personal just how explosive Swift can be. Swift also is the best pass catching RB the Eagles have. That is something that helps his case to be The Guy.

All of this is based on past performance, of course. Sirianni has to figure out who will be the best RB in 2023. Gainwell is having the best camp from what we hear. That could mean Sirianni is going to give him a chance to show what he can do.

We’ll have to wait and see what happens. All of these guys could get snaps in the preseason. That won’t give us any definitive answers, but every bit of info will help Sirianni to make his decision.

I don’t see anyone getting a ton of carries in the regular season. I think Sirianni will mix it up and go with the hot hand. RBBC. RB by committee. That’s how you can get the most out of this group.

Unless Trey Sermon beats them all out and dominates.

***

Reason #655321 to appreciate Jalen Hurts.

https://twitter.com/anotherFTBacct/status/1689045740180697088

Manziel had an amazing college career. He was Johnny Football. He was so good that Nick Saban and Kirby Smart adjusted their defensive strategies to deal with him.

Complete flop in the NFL.

The NFL is professional football. It requires hard work and dedication. Guys who don’t put in the work don’t last, unless they are freaks. Manziel wasn’t good enough to get by on pure talent. That worked at Texas A&M, but not with the Browns.

Hurts is talented, but his most special quality might just be how driven he is. He will not fail due to lack of effort. Manziel did.

You hate to see young guys who don’t understand what a special opportunity they have. They have dominated in football since Pop Warner days and develop an arrogance that makes them think they’ll always be better. The NFL is humbling. You learn very quickly how good everyone is and what you have to do to succeed.

Or you’re gone.

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