Doug Pederson on Wednesday morning confirmed that the Eagles at least had some interest in bringing in a veteran free agent running back this offseason.
But the Eagles are also happy with what they have.
“We did and we looked outside [at] free agency and some of the guys that were there,” Pederson said to Angelo Cataldi on WIP. “As you guys know, we had an opportunity to possibly grab a player and slipped through our fingers. But we’re always looking to add that depth, add that value.
“But I am pleased with that running back room right now. And Duce (Staley) does a great job of preparing these guys. Yeah, I’m happy with that group.”
While Pederson didn’t mention a name specifically, we can probably take a guess that he’s talking about Carlos Hyde, who signed with the Seattle Seahawks. The three names linked to the Eagles were Hyde, Devonta Freeman and LeSean McCoy. Freeman and McCoy remain unsigned.
Hyde, 29, signed a one-year deal worth $2.75 million to join the Seahawks. That was out of the Eagles’ price range.
Hyde was seemingly a perfect complementary player for Miles Sanders. Hyde is a bigger, run-between-the-tackles type of player. And the job he took in Seattle isn’t as a feature back either; they have Chris Carson in Seattle. But the price was too much to get him to Philly.
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And it’s not lip service that the Eagles like their current group of running backs. They see Sanders as a true No. 1, they’re high on Boston Scott as a rotational player. And even after that, they still think Corey Clement is talented and just needs to stay healthy. And Elijah Holyfield and Michael Warren are two players they had draftable grades on in the last two seasons.
But Pederson agreed with Cataldi’s assessment that Sanders is the Eagles’ feature running back in 2020.
“You’re correct in speculating, Miles is our No. 1,” Pederson said. “He’s the guy we drafted last year and he had a tremendous rookie season and he’s ready to carry the load. But I think you have to have a second or a third guy there that can help him. That’s the one thing with running backs, keeping them healthy for 16-plus games every season.”
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