Philadelphia Eagles: Corey Clement flashed shades of greatness vs Giants

In his first game back following a two-game absence, Corey Clement flashed lead back potential for the Philadelphia Eagles against the New York Giants.

Another week, another surprise breakout performance by a Philadelphia Eagles running back. But unlike Josh Adams breakout performance in Week 3 or Wendell Smallwood‘s valiant effort in Week 5, this one felt different.

With Jay Ajayi‘s career in Philadelphia likely over after tearing his ACL less than a week ago, Corey Clement‘s reemergence following a Week 2 injury felt almost like a passing of the torch.

I think it’s safe to say the Eagles have their new lead back.

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While the idea of Clement filling a larger role has gained more and more traction among fans and casual observers alike following his very impressive 2017 postseason campaign, capped off with a 100-yard receiving performance in the Super Bowl stat, up until now, we’ve yet to really have a oppertunity to see what a Clement-headlined running back corp would look like.

So far so good in my opinion.

Sure, he still probably wasn’t 100 percent, but Clement brought a shiftiness that the Eagles running backs stable has sorely missed over the Pederson-era, almost hearkening back to a certain former Philly great that many believe the team should make a trade for now.

Is Corey Clement LeSean McCoy? No. But, does he flash Brian Westbrook-esque upside? Totally.

Coming out of college, many scouts viewed Clement as a jack of all trades but master of none, perceivably too small to be a power runner, but lacking the auxiliary tools to attack defenses outside, ultimately resulting in the New Jersey native going undrafted.

However, roughly 25 games into his professional career, it’s clear 31 other teams missed on Clement. While Clement is a bit small compared to the prototypical lead-back, as he only stands 5-foot-10, 220 pounds, he’s shown surprising precision slicing his way through the line on inside zone run.

And on the outside? Corey is a problem.

Even though he ran a 4.68 40 yard dash at the 2017 NFL Combine, Clement has shown he has true football speed, capable of making the first man miss and pick up a first down on a would-be short game.

This inside-out versatility could conceivably allow Clement to remain on the field for long stretches of the game, regardless of down and distance, opening up Doug Pederson‘s playbook to a whole score of potential play calling possibilities.

Honestly, that’s what the Eagles offense has been missing so far this season, a dynamic, do-it-all rusher to pair with Carson Wentz in the offensive backfield.

While Corey Clement is certainly no Saquon Barkley, the two Big Ten runners can fill similar rules on their respective teams, and serve as a do-it-all runner who can also serve a safety blanket in the passing game.

Next. 3 takeaways from Eagles 34-13 win over the Giants. dark

So, as fans, pundits and writers alike all hypothesize about what the Philadelphia Eagles should do to ‘fix’ they’re broken running game, maybe instead of trading for a big-name player like Le’Veon Bell or LeSean McCoy, forfeiting a premium draft pick in the process, the team should instead sign a free agent like ex-Cheif Charcandrick West and give Corey Clement a few more starts to test his proverbial mettle. With the trade deadline still a few weeks away, why make a move when your next great franchise rusher may already be on the roster?

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