Philadelphia Eagles: Darren Sproles finally looks human
Darren Sproles is one of the most decorated players in NFL history, but at 36-years-old, he’s no longer the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive secret weapon.
There once was a time when Darren Sproles was special.
Despite being among the shortest players in the NFL, the 2005(!) fourth-round pick out of Kansas State parlayed a potential role as the then-San Diego Chargers change of pace scatback into a 15-year career topped off with three Pro Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl ring.
But like of so many players before him, Sproles just doesn’t know when to quit.
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Not once, not twice, but three times the now-36-year-old has announced his intent to retire at the end of the current season, and yet, here we are midway through the 2019 season and the Philadelphia Eagles‘ shortest player is still kicking – or shall I say returning kicks (when he actually decides to).
Whether taking orders from Chip Kelly, Doug Pederson, or (for a single game) Pat Shurmur, Sproles was the Eagles’ offensive safety valve, a player who added a little excitement to the offense, pulling a rabbit out of his hat on third and long. He was good at this role, great really, but the best ability in the NFL is availability, and that became Sproles’ fatal flaw.
In 2016, Sproles appeared in 15 games, amassed 865 yards from scrimmage, and made his third – and potentially final – Pro Bowl appearance. Since then, Sproles has appeared in 15 games combined over three seasons, with 504 all-purpose yards to show for his efforts.
While Sproles has helped to pick up the slack as a punt returner, fielding 22 from 2017-19 versus 17 in 2016, his average yards per return has dropped considerably from 13.2 to an even eight. Just for context, those numbers are roughly comparable with those of Boston Scott, the new Darren Sproles, who is 12 years his junior.
Maybe it’s time for Scott to take over the role full-time to see what he can do without a safety net.
Look, I get it, when your entire identity is built around playing football, it must be incredibly hard to let that go and live the next 60-years of your life, but at what point does it become too much? At what point does his diminished athleticism, when coupled with a body riddled with injuries, become too much to handle? Have we seen the last of Darren Sproles?
Yes.
Though number 43 may finish out the season in Philadelphia, maybe even on the active roster god willing, the player we once knew – the player who once struck fear in the hearts of defensive signal callers when he shimmied onto the field – just doesn’t exist anymore.
And frankly, that’s ok.
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After 15 seasons proving doubters wrong, Darren Sproles has accomplished pretty much everything an NFL player could want in their careers. He’s among the top-10 players in total yards in NFL history, he’s made Pro Bowls, and he’s got a Super Bowl ring (even if he earned it on IR) – in my eyes, that’s a career well spent.