Should the Philadelphia Eagles make a push to sign Adrian Peterson?

Adrian Peterson would give the Philadelphia Eagles a legit RB4.

In a bit of a surprising turn of events, future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson was released by the Washington Football Team. Coming off back-to-back seasons where he led the team in total rushing yards, this move definitely came across as a tad odd at first glance, and it could end up aiding in the Philadelphia Eagles.

Washington was noticeably thin at RB following the untimely departure of Derrius Guice due to legal issues, however it seems they’re putting a good chunk of faith into recently drafted rookie Antonio Gibson. The former Memphis back made a name for himself in college as being a great pass-catcher, providing a level of versatility that projects him to have a big role in the revamped Washington offense.

For the Eagles however, this whole situation could turn into one big blessing. The team surprisingly trimmed their RB room down to just three backs during yesterday’s wave of cuts, leaving just Boston Scott and Corey Clement behind Miles Sanders. This is a noticeably thin group of backs to be carrying into Week 1, especially considering Clement’s long-documented injury history. The general belief heading into training camp was that either Elijah Holyfield or Adrian KIllins would end up sneaking onto the final 53-man, yet both were waived.

This opens the door up for the team to add a savvy veteran to their RB room, something that they have been linked to doing pretty much all offseason long. The were connected to former Falcon Devonta Freeman early in the offseason, they outright admitted to missing out on Carlos Hyde, and there was always some level of interest between the Eagles and former franchise back LeSean McCoy. With how much work they did looking at veteran backs previously this summer, it should come as zero surprise to anyone if they choose to dip back into that market.

Peterson presents an intriguing option to the Philadelphia Eagles for two major reasons. First, he’s literally a Hall of Fame caliber back. The knowledge and wisdom which he could pass down to Sanders might outweigh any sort of on the field production at this point in his career. Second, he’s had experience the last two seasons acting as an every down “bell cow” for Washington, and he’s done so at a high level. Should Sanders go down to injury, Peterson has the ability to slide in and get 15-20 carries a game.

The one major drawback to signing Peterson is his previous off the field issues. The veteran back has been involved in some well-documented legal issues, and adding something like that to a strong Philly locker room could rub some players the wrong way, especially when you have guys like Jason Peters and Zach Ertz asking for money in their own regard.

Jeffery Lurie, Howie Roseman, and Doug Pederson have long valued “team culture” over everything else, and Peterson might not fit in with the mold they’ve created.

Clement and Scott are both fan favorites, but neither really have the proven ability to act as longterm replacements to Sanders within the offense. Considering how light the Philadelphia Eagles RB room is at the moment, they’ll likely add a fourth back sooner rather than later. When it comes to Peterson, it simply depends how much they value his football playing ability over a potential poor locker room fit.