How should Eagles approach running game following Jay Ajayi trade?

After making a blockbuster deal to land Jay Ajayi, the Philadelphia Eagles are once again faced with a surplus of running backs. So how will they approach this situation moving forward?

Wow! What a past few days it has been for the Philadelphia Eagles. Sitting at 7-1 with the best record in the NFL, the Eagles went out and made a move to potentially make this team even better by landing Jay Ajayi from the Miami Dolphins, as Howie Roseman was somehow able to deal a fourth-round pick in exchange for the young star running back.

This move almost certainly improves an offense that already ranks fourth in the league in points per game, and also fourth overall in rushing offense. Not to mention, the move to land Ajayi shows that Philadelphia is all in on winning this season.

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So as we sit right now, the Eagles are back to having five running backs on their 53-man roster, an issue they had when the active rosters were initially released that was later solved by placing Donnel Pumphrey on injured reserve. All of a sudden, Philadelphia is back to that same issue and they are going to need to figure out how they can approach games with five running backs. It is extremely difficult to have all five running backs active for games, as that could potentially take away from depth at another position.

Another question is, who will see the bulk of the carries and how will carries be divided up amongst the running backs? Obviously, the top two backs on this team are going to be Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount. Having two physical runners that are both coming off 1,000-yard seasons like Ajayi and Blount are going to be a pain for opposing defenses to handle. With the beauty of this being if one needs to be spelled here and there, the other will be able to step up and deliver the same punishing runs to opposing defenses.

As the weather gets colder and we approach playoff football, teams need to have a physical running game to wear down defenses. The Eagles now don`t just have one of those runners, they now posses two that should put the unit near the top of the league.

If Ajayi is to play this Sunday against the Denver Broncos, don`t expect to see him getting 20 carries right away. Instead, expect Philadelphia to ease him in, and give him a few carries here and there on simple plays, as he continues to get used to the offense. The great thing is that after this Sunday, the Eagles go on their bye week, so Ajayi will get two weeks to get the offense down.

When Philadelphia comes out of the bye and heads to Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys, we will most likely begin to see how the Eagles are going to approach the running game. Ajayi is now the team`s most talented back and should slowly see the bulk of the carries. It would not surprise me for the Boise State product to eventually work his way up to 15-20 carries a game.

Ajayi`s pass-blocking and pass-catching abilities are going to be what puts him on the field over Blount eventually, especially in third-down situations. But, it would still be wise of the Eagles to give Blount at least 10 carries a game, especially in short-yardage situations, and in times when trying to grind out the clock.

Now, what about the other three running backs, and who is going to be the odd man out?

I feel like the next man up after Blount and Ajayi should be Corey Clement. The undrafted rookie out of Wisconsin has most certainly earned his time on the field this season. Getting Clement mixed in here and there as a change of pace back will be important to mix things up, and give the top two guys a breather here and there.

This trade most likely screams the end of Kenjon Barner receiving any carries, but he will still dress on game days as he is this team’s punt returner, and there are no better options on the roster. Plus, the former Oregon Duck has been outstanding filling the shoes of Darren Sproles in that role.

It looks like all of this will possibly leave Wendell Smallwood as the odd man out. The trade for Ajayi has practically taken any role away from Smallwood, as those third-down plays that Smallwood was expected to get will now go to Ajayi due to his better pass blocking ability. Smallwood has struggled mightily in pass blocking this season, and that paired with his inconsistencies will contribute to much decreased playing time.

Even last week against the San Francisco 49ers, Smallwood saw very limited action. So now with Ajayi in town, expect the oft-injured back to see his playing time diminish.

Next: Philadelphia Eagles: mid-season superlatives

It will be interesting to see how the Eagles do sort this all out as it is very difficult to roll with five running backs. But looking at the top of the depth chart, with two very good running backs leading the charge, Philadelphia’s ground game looks poised for a great second half and hopefully a deep playoff run.