Philadelphia Eagles: Is it time to bring in Devonta Freeman?
By David Esser
With LeSean McCoy now off the market, could the Philadelphia Eagles pull the trigger on veteran running back Devonta Freeman?
Following the news of LeSean McCoy signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Philadelphia Eagles may finally consider pulling the trigger on free agent running back Devonta Freeman. The former Atlanta Falcon was initially telling people he was prepared to sit out if he didn’t receive a large contract. However, following an agent change, he may have softened hs stance on that.
Despite Miles Sanders being primed for an absolute monstrous sophomore season, the Eagles would still likely prefer to add a proven back behind him. Not only has Doug Pederson long utilized multi-back systems (think Blount, Ajayi, and Clement in 2017), but putting all your eggs in one basket could spell disaster should Sanders get injured.
Outside of Sanders, the Eagles current running back room consists of Boston Scott, Corey Clement, Elijah Holyfield, Michael Warren, and Adrian Killins.
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While Scott was quite electric during his time on the field last season (449 scrimmage yards), he’s still quite unproven in terms of NFL success. He played a huge role for Philly down the stretch in 2019, but relying on him to be your go-to backup could be risky. He’s likely more of a third-down/receiving back.
Clement showed some serious flashes of potential during his rookie season in 2017 (especially in the actual Super Bowl) however since then he’s battled injuries left and right. He missed five regular season games in 2018 and didn’t log a single carry last year.
Holyfied, Warren, and Killins are all exciting prospects in their own regard, but obviously none are proven commodities in today’s NFL. It’s entirely possible the Eagles like what they see from one of these three players, and feel confident inserting them into the rotation alongside Sanders and Scott, but it’s unlikely.
Freeman’s old agent cut ties with him earlier this month due to his failure to accept a contract, with Drew Rosenhaus stepping in to represent the running back currently. On July 21st, Rosenhaus had this to say about Freeman, “We want to work out a deal in the immediate future, and we are open to any team…He’s healthy. He’s in shape, and I’m on a mission to have him give a team a lift in late July“.
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The Eagles reportedly put out an offer for Carlos Hyde earlier in free agency, and were also in the mix for Matt Breida around the draft, proving their interest in a veteran running back. If Freeman has indeed dropped his asking price due to his new representation, signing him would be an instant upgrade to the Eagles backfield.