How will Eagles' battle at running back shake out in camp?

We’re getting close to Eagles training camp so we’re taking a look at some notable camp competitions.

We took a look at the right guard spot first.

Up today: Running back

The Eagles had the No. 5 rushing offense in the NFL last season, although a bunch of those yards (760 of them) came from Jalen Hurts. But the Eagles ran well with their running backs too and Miles Sanders had over 1,200 yards, 11 touchdowns and was named to his first career Pro Bowl. But Sanders left for Carolina in free agency and the Eagles will likely have a running-back-by-committee in 2023. They signed Rashaad Penny and traded for D’Andre Swift this offseason.

This competition isn’t necessarily about winning a job but it’s about earning roles and touches throughout training camp.

Let’s look at the players:

D’Andre Swift
Age: 24
Experience: Year 4
Size: 5-foot-9, 215 pounds

The Eagles traded for Swift during the draft, sending a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Lions in a deal that also included a seventh-round pick swap this year. It’s a homecoming for Swift, who is a Philly native and was once a star at St. Joseph’s Prep.

The Lions took Swift in the second round (35th overall) out of Georgia back in 2020. But when Detroit drafted Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round in April, Howie Roseman realized that Swift was available and pounced. Swift has had a nice NFL career but hasn’t exactly lived up to his draft pedigree. 

In three seasons, Swift has never had more than 617 rushing yards in a year but he has been excellent as a receiver out of the backfield. Over the last three seasons, Swift has 156 catches, ranking him fifth in the NFL among running backs during that span behind Austin Ekeler (231), Alvin Kamara (187), Leonard Fournette (178) and Aaron Jones (158). That’s an element of this Eagles offense that has been missing; perhaps Swift can provide it.

Kenny Gainwell
Age: 24
Experience: Year 3
Size: 5-foot-9, 200 pounds

It was very clear that Gainwell was behind Sanders in the pecking order for most of the 2022 season. And if you look at Gainwell’s regular season numbers in his second NFL season, you won’t be impressed. He had 53 carries for 240 yards (4.5) with 4 touchdowns and caught 23 passes for 169 yards. In fact, those numbers were actually down from what he accomplished as a fifth-round rookie in 2021.

But then came the playoffs. Gainwell was very good in the first two playoff games and ended up out-snapping Sanders during the Super Bowl run. After averaging just 24 scrimmage yards per game in the regular season, Gainwell averaged 78.7 in the playoffs.

So that begs the question: Which version is the real version of Gainwell? And is all that changed his role? Gainwell spoke this spring about welcoming competition and said he still expects to have a big role despite the additions of Swift and Penny.

Rashaad Penny
Age: 27
Experience: Year 6
Size: 5-foot-11, 220 pounds

Of all the running backs on the Eagles’ roster, Penny has been the most productive in his NFL career. The problem has been injuries, all kinds of injuries. He just can’t stay healthy. In fact, since entering the NFL as a first-round pick in 2018, Penny has played in 42 games with 11 starts — he’s averaging 8.4 games per season.

But when Penny is on the field, it’s hard to argue with the production. In his last two seasons with the Seahawks, he had 176 carries for 1,095 yards (6.2) and 8 touchdowns. The next closest running back in yards per carry (at least 100 attempts) is Tony Pollard with an average of 5.3. Penny averaged nearly an entire yard more per rush.

The Eagles gave Penny a contract that included just $600K in guaranteed money so they’re not tied to him. But he was definitely worth a shot as a low-risk, high-reward signing. It would be foolish to expect Penny to suddenly stay healthy, but it’s hard to stop yourself from dreaming. If he does, Penny could be the steal of the offseason.

Boston Scott
Age: 28
Experience: Year 5
Size: 5-foot-6, 203 pounds

The Eagles brought back Scott on a one-year deal worth $1 million this offseason. The former waiver claim has ended up being a nice piece of the Eagles’ offense for the past few seasons. In 2022, he rushed for 217 yards with 3 touchdowns and caught 5 passes for 15 yards. Not huge numbers, but filled his role as a backup/rotational piece. That should probably continue this season. And, heck, the Eagles still play the Giants twice per year.

Trey Sermon
Experience: Year 3
Age: 24
Size: 6-foot, 215 pounds

The Eagles claimed Sermon off waivers from the 49ers just before the 2022 season and he barely got a chance to play last year. When he did, he had 2 carries for 19 yards. There’s a lot of intrigue surrounding Sermon because he was a third-round pick a few years ago and we didn’t get to watch him in training camp. It’s unlikely the Eagles keep five running backs, though, which could mean he’s on the outside looking in, at least for now.

The rest

The only other running back on the roster is Kennedy Brooks, who was once a star at Oklahoma and was college teammates with Jalen Hurts. But with those five others ahead of him, Brooks is a longshot to make this roster.

Outlook

If you had to pick one guy to get the most touches in the backfield this season, it would probably be Swift but Nick Sirianni proved last playoffs that he’s not against playing the hot hand. There are times where any of these backs could lead the team in rushing or yards from a running back in that particular game. Right now, the pecking order is probably Swift, Gainwell, Penny and then Scott. But we’ll see if that changes based on training camp performance.

Subscribe to Eagle Eye anywhere you get your podcasts: 
Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | Spotify | Stitcher | Art19 | RSS | Watch on YouTube