Philadelphia Eagles: Examining Boston Scott’s role in 2020
By David Esser
The Philadelphia Eagles are likely expecting an increased role from Boston Scott in 2020.
Running back Boston Scott was one of the best “feel good” stories on the Philadelphia Eagles last season, a practice squad call-up who came in and helped save the season down the stretch. However, as we turn our attention towards what’s in store for the 2020 season, the Eagles are likely expecting a far bigger contribution from Scott.
Scott was a sixth round pick by the New Orleans Saints in 2018, however he never logged a NFL snap for the team. He was waived in September, and spent the rest of his time with the Saints on their practice squad.
The Eagles claimed Scott in December of 2018, and promoted him to the active roster the following year in October. Considering the amount of crushing injuries the Eagles experienced to their roster last year, Scott was thrusted into a immediate role within the offense. He finished the year with 61 rushing attempts and 26 total targets, with 63 of those combining to occur during the final four weeks of the season.
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Scott recorded 245 rushing yards, 84 receiving yards, a yards per carry average of 4.02, a catch rate of 92.3%, and a total of five touchdowns. He played a crucial role for Doug Pederson’s offense down the stretch, finding an immense amount of success in the passing game on screens and wheel routes, while also using his elusiveness to find gaps in the rushing game. Standing at just 5-6 and 203lbs, a lot of people have compared his play style to that of Eagles legend Darren Sproles. For the most part, it’s really not a bad comparison at all.
When the 2020 offseason fist began, a lot of analysts and fans alike felt Howie Roseman and the Eagles would be in the market for a backup running back. Miles Sanders is undoubtedly the RB1 heading into the new season (and is poised for a monster season), but Doug Peterson has longed used a “running back by committee” approach to his offense. Having multiple guys who can do different things is a stable in his schemes.
The Eagles were reportedly in on Carlos Hyde and LeSean McCoy before they signed elsewhere, poked around the Matt Breida situation on draft night, have been in contact with Devonta Freeman, and even highly considered drafting JK Dobbins in the second round. Essentially, what all this means is that the team was undoubtedly looking to bring in one more back to their RB room.
As of right now however, Roseman has yet to add a RB outside of re-signing Corey Clement and two undrafted free agents. With none of them expected to be huge contributors in 2020, a giant load is now falling onto Scott’s shoulders.
Scott is young, fast, and plays with a toughness you can’t really teach. He’s a fantastic pass catcher and can easily be a serviceable one-two punch behind Sanders. The main problem that lies in this rotation is the fact neither Sanders nor Scott are “power runners’. When it comes to draining clock late in games via runs up the middle, it will be interesting to see how Pederson and the Eagles attack that.
Scott finished last season with 85 total touches. Heading into 2020 it wouldn’t be unreasonable to see that number double. Barring a last second free agent addition by Roseman, Scott is primed for the biggest year of his short career, currently locked in as the Philadelphia Eagles go-to backup running back.