Eagles insider Rueben Frank expects RB Kenneth Gainwell to play "a lot" this year. He got off to a slow start in camp but has seemingly gotten rolling lately. He had a nice preseason, capped by a 5-32-1 rushing line and 4-27 receiving line in Friday night's finale. We'll see exactly how Gainwell fits in a backfield that also includes Miles Sanders and Boston Scott. The rookie is just a late-round flier in drafts but could be a drain on Sanders' fantasy production.
Eagles RB Miles Sanders has had "far too many drops" in training camp so far, NBC Sports Philadelphia's Dave Zangaro writes. Sanders' receiving production fell off a cliff last year, when he posted a 28-197-0 line after a 50-509-3 as a rookie. His 8 drops were part of the problem. Zangaro adds that Sanders is having a good camp as a runner, looking "quick, explosive and agile." He's a safe bet to operate as Philly's lead ball-carrier this season. But his role in the passing game is in question. We'll see if he can clean up the drops going forward.
Eagles RBs coach Jamel Singleton hinted that his team plans on deploying a committee backfield in 2021. "There are very specific skill sets you need in your room," Singleton said. "You need a first- and second-down runner with that really elite ability. You need a guy that can pass protect on third down and be short yardage. You need a back that can run routes and you can put him out in empty. It’s really a combination of that. I think the days of, ‘he’s an every-down back,’ that’s a little skewed these days because of the speed, because of the contact.” There are very few every-down backs in today's NFL, so this certainly isn't a death knell to Miles Sanders. But we're curious to see exactly how much work he'll cede after the Eagles added rookie RB Kenneth Gainwell and RB Kerryon Johnson to a group that already included RBs Boston Scott and Jordan Howard.
Eagles RB Miles Sanders (ankle) didn't practice on Wednesday. The Philadelphia media seems generally optimistic about Sanders' availability for this weekend's game against the Seahawks, but we'd still consider him truly questionable at this point. We'll get another update on his status tomorrow.
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