The Eagles Running Game Can Be Elite in 2021
Heading into the 2021 season, there are a lot of questions marks surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles. A whole new coaching staff, first year starting quarterback, young roster as a whole. The 2021 season is destined to be a rebuilding year for the Eagles, where they can figure out what they have on the team and build on that for the future.
If there’s one positive thing to look at on the Eagles, it’s the running game, and the potential it has to be an elite group in 2021.
Let’s start with the quarterback, Jalen Hurts. In the passing game, his numbers weren’t great by any means, but it wasn’t terrible either for a guy making his first career starts in the NFL. It was the running game where he really made his mark and hurt opposing teams. In his four starts, Hurts had 46 rushes for 272 yards and three touchdowns, giving him a 5.91 yards per attempt average. In his first start alone he went for 106 yards on the ground. Hurts is going to be a major threat to opposing defenses with how dangerous he can be with his legs. Once the passing game improves, it will take his game to a whole new level, but for now his running ability will be one of his strongest attributes.
Shift to the running back group and start with the star of the group, Miles Sanders. At any time, Sanders has the ability to go from 0 to 100 and break off that home run carry. We saw that several times last year, as he had carries of 75 yards or more three times last year. The biggest question with Sanders thus far in his career has been his durability, as he hasn’t proven just yet to be that every down back that the team has looked for him to be. He’s hovered around that 15-20 carry a game mark most of his career, but if he can prove himself durable and get stronger as the game goes on, he will be very dangerous next season.
The rest of the running back group will serve as a good compliment to Sanders, as they are Boston Scott and Jordan Howard. Scott is more suited in the Darren Sproles type role, where he can be a third down back and change of pace type of guy. He is small in stature, but throughout his career he has played much bigger than his 5’6″ body suggests. A burst up the middle followed by a spin move can find Scott getting major yards next year in the Eagles offense.
The last piece of this running back trio, Jordan Howard, will have a chance to get back to his 2019 Eagles form. Howard had a strong first half of 2019 season with the Eagles before a shoulder injury sidelined him the last half of the season. In his nine games, Howard had 119 rushes for 525 yards and six touchdowns. He proved to be the power back the Eagles offense was lacking since 2017 with LeGarrette Blount. If Howard can get back to his old self, he can provide great value and snaps for the Eagles.
The last piece of the puzzle is the most important for the entire offense, which is the offensive line. There’s no way around it: the offensive line was completely decimated last year and a very dysfunctional group, no matter who was at quarterback. With Brandon Brooks returning, Lane Johnson getting completely healthy, and the rest of the group getting more reps and in sync with one another again, this group could turn back into a very dominant offensive line in the run game.
The potential is absolutely there for the Philadelphia Eagles to have a dominant run game in 2021. With a young quarterback that is one of the most mobile at his position, a young running back core, and a healthy offensive line, there is no reason for the Eagles to not have one of the best running games in the league in 2021.
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Categorized:Eagles