If the Philadelphia Eagles are prepared to let Miles Sanders leave in free agency, the heir apparent could be on the roster. Kenny Gainwell stated his case for the starting running back job after racking up 181 yards in three postseason games. He was electric out of the backfield, doubly effective as a dynamic pass-catcher and willing blocker in pass protection.
The second-year player isn’t a finished product by any means, but he (maybe?) flashed enough promise to make Sanders expendable. While no one in the Eagles’ organization is ready to anoint Gainwell the new starter, there is enough smoke billowing around to set off a few alarms. General manager Howie Roseman wouldn’t admit he was leaning that way – he has no reason to put that on record – but he certainly didn’t hold back his praise for Gainwell when asked on February 28 at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“Kenny [Gainwell] is an impressive young player,” “When you watch him and his skillset, he has really good vision. He has the ability to get small and get skinny and he can catch the ball, he can protect. He’s a good player.”
Sanders enjoyed a dominant 17 games for the NFC champions. First Pro Bowl. First 1,000-yard season. First Super Bowl. Someone will probably pay him the $7.2 million estimated contract. It likely won’t be the Eagles. He’s too one-dimensional, plus his troubling injury history makes it necessary to have a reliable backup. That guy was Boston Scott, although he’s another player set to hit free agency.
Miles Sanders’ time with the is likely over, per FOX NFL analyst : “No one believes Roseman will invest any amount of serious money in that position. He prefers to invest in his offensive line and just plug in healthy bodies behind it.”
— Eagles Nation (NFC Champs) ()
Or … Roseman can turn the keys over to Gainwell and draft a shiny new Porsche at pick No. 30. Remember, the Eagles haven’t relied on one feature back since LeSean McCoy in 2014.
“We’ve also seen in this league that you need more than one. It’s hard to roll with just one running back in this league,” Roseman said. “I think we’re happy with …read more
Source:: Heavy.com