While the Philadelphia Eagles know one of two players will be their quarterback for the 2016 season, it is still a mystery at who could be playing at the running back position. However, it seems that new head coach Doug Pederson has a pretty interesting idea for his team this year.
The Eagles have five running backs to choose from at this point. Darren Sproles, Ryan Mathews and Kenjon Barner all return for the 2016 season, while rookies Wendell Smallwood, a fifth-round pick, and undrafted free agent signee Byron Marshall, who has yet to join the team due to the NCAA graduation rule, are both looking to find their way onto the roster.
This has led to the Eagles likely going with another running back-by committee look this year. Mathews carried most of the first-team reps during the spring, but shared them with both Sproles and Barner, so it should be interesting to see what they end up doing this year.
“Well, you go in thinking that one guy can handle the load,” Pederson said. “If that’s Ryan, he can handle all the stuff and the pounding. But with the guys we have, with the depth we have at that position, Darren is obviously a big part of that and now with Wendell coming on, I think it could be a little bit of a running back by committee.”
During the 2015 season, Mathews rushed for 539 yards and six touchdowns, while Sproles played a big role in both the running game and catching passes. Barner played a minimal role for the Eagles, but he is looking to play a much bigger role during his third year in the league.
It should be interesting to see what the team does to open the season on September 11. They open the seasons with the Cleveland Browns.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
