Have the Eagles found their thunder and lightning?

After struggling to cultivate young talent for the last half-decade, have the Philadelphia Eagles found their version of thunder and lightning?

For the first time in a long time, it looks like the Philadelphia Eagles have assembled an impressive stable of young running backs who should be able to contribute to the team not only this season, but for years to come, and they’ve done so in an incredibly unique way.

After having to utilize 5-foot-6 Darren Sproles as their lead back in 2016, the Eagles made it a point of emphasis during the offseason to upgrade the position, and so far, it looks like they’ve found success in some fairly unlikely places.

Going into the season, the two highest-profile additions to Duce Staley‘s running backs room were former New England Patriots battling ram LeGarrette Blount, and fourth-round pick, and the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher, Donnel Pumphrey, with Corey Clement going largely unheralded as an undrafted free agent acquisition. But after struggling in the preseason, it became incredibly obvious that Pumphrey would not yet be ready to supplement Sproles as the team’s third-down back.

After being outplayed by the former Wisconsin Badger for the majority of the offseason, Howie Roseman and company ultimately decided to keep an astonishing five running backs to ensure that neither Pumphrey nor Clement would be subjected to waivers.

While a pair of injuries would send Pumphrey and Sproles to season-ending IR, the team’s running back core has continued to play at a high level and has actually gotten better with a few key mid-season acquisitions.

New Additions

After losing Sproles to a broken arm and torn ACL, the team signed free agent, and former-Eagles running back Kenjon Barner to serve as the team’s new punt returner and change of pace back, and the results have been encouraging.

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Barner has returned 16 punts for an impressive 183-yards, including an impressive 76-yard return, and looks like he could be the team’s long-term solution as a returner for the team going forward. While he likely will never become more than a supplemental player on the offensive side of the ball, the former Oregon Duck scatback has at the very least proven that he’s willing to do whatever the team ask of him when his number is called.

In addition to Barner, the team also acquired Jay Ajayi from the Miami Dolphins mere hours before the 2017 trade deadline, a move that has already paid dividends. In his first game as an Eagle, Ajayi rushed for 77-yards on only 8 carries and recorded his first touchdown of the season.

While it’s never easy to give away a fourth-round pick, it’s commendable that the team was able to acquire one of the leagues best young backs for such a nominal fee.

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Barner and Ajayi’s additions to the Eagles roster should go a long way to inserting some renewed life into the team’s roster as they prepare themselves for an eventual push for the playoffs down the stretch.

Thunder and Lighting

Even though the Eagles will likely continue to utilize a running back-by-committee approach for the remainder of the 2017 season, it would appear that they’ve not only found key young players to replace their aging vets, but also some unique matchup pieces who could grow with Carson Wentz beyond this season.

In Ajayi, the team has found a young power back who’s a threat to take the ball to the house on any given play. If he can re-establish himself as a receiver out of the backfield, one of his calling cards coming out of college, and continue to grow as a pass blocker, the former Boise State Bronco could become the Eagles lead back for the foreseeable future, a position they’ve been trying to fill since the LeSean McCoy-era.

And in addition to Ajayi, the team has also uncovered a diamond in the rough in New Jersey native Corey Clement. After being bypassed by every team in the leagues during the 2017 NFL Draft, Clement latched on with his hometown team in the hope of finding his way onto the 53-man roster, and so far, he’s done just that.

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While not as vicious of a runner as Ajayi, Clement has brought a lot to the team as both a pass catcher and as a more elusive, change-of-pace back to supplement Blount and company. Though far from a complete player at this point in his career, Clement has obviously earned the respect and trust of the team’s coach staff and has been used as the end-of-game back to close out the team’s recent blowout victories.

The potential pairing of Ajayi and Clement could provide the team with a dynamic duo of young, multi-talented, backs to complement their franchise quarterback. The duo’s overlapping skillset should ensure that the team always has a fresh, talented back in the game at all times, and could ensure that they have the best player in the game for whatever play is called. While neither player has the pure speed of original lightning and thunder member Reggie Bush or the aforementioned McCoy, the duo does have varied enough skillsets to keep opposing team on edge and force them to prepare for a variety of different offensive looks.

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When you consider that the team should also have Barner and Pumphrey returning to supplement the role formerly held by Sproles, the Eagles running back core should be incredibly exciting for years to come.