The Eagles are a team that many are praising to be very well constructed coming into the 2023 season. After an incredible campaign that led to them battling with the Chiefs on an over-watered field for the uptime prize in football, the team suffered some losses in the offseason.
One of those losses came from the offense. After a couple of up-and-down seasons to start his career, Miles Sanders had a huge breakout season in 2022. He led the Eagles’ rushing attack with 259 rushing attempts for 1,269 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. All of those numbers were career highs for the former Penn State product.
Miles Sanders priced himself out of the Eagles’ plans with those career numbers and ended up signing with Carolina Panthers for a four-year deal worth $25 million. This left the Eagles in an odd place with only Kenny Gainwell and Trey Sermon being the only signed running backs.
They brought back Boston Scott but he was never meant to be the main guy. Instead, they signed Rashaad Penny to a very team-friendly deal that could go one of two ways for them. While Penny’s numbers show that he’s been one of the more efficient backs in the game, his injury history doesn’t sit well with the Eagles’ Super Bowl plan.
Getting what they paid for?
Can Penny hold up for an entire season for the first time since…well…ever? Penny has only played in 42 games in his 5-year career. That’s about half a season each year (8.4 games per year). He has only had more than 500 rushing yards once in his career which was back in 2021 when he finished the season with 719 yards on the ground in 10 games.
He’s also only played in 18 games over the last three seasons which is extremely concerning if you’re the Philadelphia Eagles. Regardless of how great Nick Sirianni’s staff is at keeping players healthy, Penny’s aggressive running style can alter that in one play.
Then there’s D’Andre Swift. Swift is a player that I believe can truly help the Eagles and be an incredible weapon out of the backfield. His quick feet and acceleration in combination with Jalen Hurts will be a big asset for the offense. But his concern is the same as Penny’s, can he stay healthy?
The former Georgia Bulldog has played in just as many games in three years as Rashaad Penny has in five years. That’s definitely a plus but will he be available for them down the stretch is the biggest question. Swift has played in 40 games which is great but has yet to truly have a breakout season due to the injuries.
He has yet to have more than 700 rushing yards in a season but he brings more to the table than Rashaad Penny. While Swift has been limited to what he has done on the ground, he has made up for it in the passing game. He’s tallied 1,198 receiving yards in three seasons which is about 400 receiving yards per year. Miles Sanders didn’t even cross 100 receiving yards in 2022.
Can these Eagles last?
Together, Penny and Swift are truly thunder and lightning. Penny’s power and aggressive running style can make way for Swift early on in games while Swift’s receiving ability adds a new dynamic to the offense. But the biggest question surrounding both players is their health. Every great coach always says that a player’s best ability is their availability. Should the Eagles be concerned about this?
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
