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Four RBs Show Separation, Look Like Locks for Spots on Final Roster

Originally posted on FanNation Eagle Maven | By Ed Kracz | Last updated 8/14/21

The Eagles’ running back position may be coming more into focus, and attrition could be a factor.

Kerryon Johnson did not practice on Saturday due to a knee injury that is still being evaluated. Jason Huntley has an issue with his ribs and was listed as day-to-day.

Then, prior to the start of Day 12 of training camp, head coach Nick Sirianni spotlighted a pair of running backs when asked by SI.com Eagle Maven for his takeaways from the group following Thursday’s preseason opener against the Steelers.

“A couple plays that really stick out, I'll mention a couple guys by name,” said the coach. “Jordan Howard had a pickup on a third down where he just drilled the guy. That was awesome to see. You love that intensity there. And I'm talking about pass plays.

“And then Kenny Gainwell had a chip on a defensive end. And as we watched it in the coaches' meeting, they were, like, ‘Oooh, that one hurt. That slowed that guy down the next time.’ So, it was good to see the physical play of the back. Kenny also slipped a tackle. The guy had him wrapped up. You just saw how strong he is in the lower body.”

The Eagles will likely keep at least four running backs on the final 53-man roster. Five is a possibility, but the top four right now appear to be Miles Sanders, Howard, who started in place of Sanders on Thursday, Gainwell, and Boston Scott.

It may be in that order, too.

Sirianni explained how the running backs will be chosen when it comes time to make those decisions later this month.

“We're evaluating the running backs on everything,” he said. “It's not just the running plays. It's the protections. It's the routes. It's all sorts of things. This is no secret. We really are going to use our running backs in the pass game. We're going to. They create great mismatches in games.”

So, Thursday night was an aberration, when Sirianni dialed up just 10 running plays against the Steelers.

“I believe we had 45 offensive plays, so every play is an evaluation,” he said. “Although it wasn't as many running plays as we normally would do, it was still a great tool to evaluate.”

Howard has certainly been the best running back in camp, so far, based on everything the coaching staff wants to evaluate. Miles Sanders still needs to improve his pass-catching, and Sirianni talked about that on Saturday.

“He's working at it because he knows he has to continue to improve there,” the coach said. “So, I love the fact that he's doing that. We've seen Miles drop a couple, off-angle routes is really where we've really seen it, and that's coming back in and looking at the quarterback and the angle that it's coming through. So, we're just trying to simulate that as much as possible.”

As for Howard, he worked hard to get his body in the best possible shape during the offseason, mostly by paying more attention to his diet.

He has done a solid job in both pass pro and catching the ball, so far.

“As a young guy when you first come into the league, pass pro is probably the hardest thing to do because in college you’re not asked to block much or look for it much, so that’s the first thing you have to lock in on,” said Howard following Saturday’s practice. “If you want to play you have to protect the quarterback, so I feel my pass protection has grown each year I’ve been in the league. I’m still trying to get better though.”

The same thing with catching the ball, which was something Hoard didn’t have to do much of in college, first at the University of Alabama Birmingham then at Indiana.

“In college, I didn’t too much,” he said, “maybe screen passes, some swing passes, nothing like we’re running here, so I definitely had to work on that. I feel I have to lock in and catch the ball. I’m going to get hit anyway, so I just have to make sure I catch the ball first.”

One thing that Howard can provide is hard-nosed, inside running between the tackles. He is the bigger type of back the Eagles need and is the only one on the roster with the experience doing a lot of it, at 6-foot, 225 pounds.

“I try to stick to my skills,” said Howard, who has 34 touchdowns in 64 career games. “I feel like I can run on the inside. I’m a bigger guy so I feel I can take some of the hits better. I don't have the speed some other guys have so they can do more when they get to the outside, so I try to focus on what I can do.”

Howard has seemingly done enough to be on the final roster, but there are still just over two weeks before the final cutdown is made.

This article first appeared on FanNation Eagle Maven and was syndicated with permission.

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