Philadelphia Eagles: The Rise of Wendell Smallwood
By James Wicker
Even with all of the question marks at running back coming into the 2016 season for the Philadelphia Eagles, not many people gave 5th round pick Wendell Smallwood a chance. He’s proving them wrong.
The past three seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles were used to Chip Kelly’s insistence that culture trumped scheme in any situation. Kelly was notorious for completely changing the makeup of the roster, parting ways with beloved players such as DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, and Jeremy Maclin.
When particularly speaking of Jackson and McCoy, there were plenty of rumblings that their dismissals were centered around attitude problems and the fact that Coach Kelly didn’t believe they fit the team culture he wanted to instill in the locker room. Since the introduction of first-time head coach Doug Pederson, that outlook has changed.
The team decided they would take a chance on Wendell Smallwood, a running back from West Virginia University. Smallwood rushed for 1,519 yards and 9 TD’s during his junior year at WVU, while amassing an impressive 6.4 yards per carry in the process.
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After running a 4.47 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and undergoing a workout for the Eagles that Howie Roseman stated was “phenomenal”, the Eagles were ready to overlook some questionable past behaviors to take a risk on Smallwood.
In July 2014, Smallwood was arrested for allegedly attempting to intimidate a witness that had accused a close friend of his of murder. After his friend pleaded guilty a few weeks later, charges were dropped against Smallwood. Questions still, however, remained about the Wilmington, Delaware native’s character.
The organization also questioned Smallwood in regard to a series of tweets that made obscene remarks about sex and other related topics, as well as a specific crude tweet regarding the gay community in Philadelphia. Smallwood had to convince Eagles management that his true personality wasn’t anything like what the media perceived him.
"“The stuff on Twitter — I was young”. “It’s real embarrassing. I don’t believe anything I said. I’ve definitely grown since that stuff was sent out. I’ve learned from it.”"
Smallwood added comments related to his past charges and assured his past behaviors won’t be what’s to be expected going forward from him.
"“I think they have confidence in me that that’s not me and that’s a one-time thing that won’t happen again,” Smallwood said. “I was arrested. The charges weren’t dropped just because of the guilty plea. They had no evidence against me. A witness never came forward and said I intimidated anyone. So I think it ultimately came down to them finding out I was innocent.”"
With Howie Roseman back in charge of personnel decisions, more “risky” players like Smallwood were taken in this year’s draft. The team also selected Jalen Mills and Alex McCalister, two players with checkered pasts that Roseman was able to overlook in order to select the best man available for each position. While speaking of Smallwood and Mills, it’s looking like these “risks” are paying off thus far.
With the constant injury concerns revolving around Ryan Mathews, and the inconsistency from Kenjon Barner, Smallwood is in a situation where he can thrive in Philly.
"“He’s the same type of runner that we felt he was coming out of college and what we saw in preseason,” Pederson said. “He’s a big, powerful guy. He’s a downhill guy. He’s a one-cut runner. He did a great job for us.”"
The head coach seems to have the utmost confidence in his 5th-round pick, and with no running back taking the lead in terms of locking down the feature back spot, Smallwood is looking to take his chance.
Next: Section 215 Staff Predictions Week Five
Smallwood looks set to be given an increased workload following his 17 carries, 79 yards, and 1 TD performance against the Steelers in Week 3. The rookie is proving that the past is not always indicative of the future, and is looking to take the NFL by storm. Something big could be brewing with this kid, and comparisons with Brian Westbrook might not be that far off after all.