Philadelphia Eagles: Boston Scott and Corey Clement need to step up

The Philadelphia Eagles will be without RB Miles Sanders in Week 1.

Despite being listed as “day to day” for around the last month or so, Philadelphia Eagles fans were dealt a fairly big shock this afternoon when it was announced that running back Miles Sanders would not be traveling with the team for Week 1. He had been dealing with a nagging hamstring injury the past several weeks, and apparently it was worse than initially projected.

Doug Peterson had initially remained insistent that Sanders would likely be available in Week 1, but on a limited snap count. However, that obviously was not the case.

With Sanders now officially out against Washington (and potentially longer), the Philadelphia Eagles will have to turn to their two main backup RBs on Sunday: Boston Scott and Corey Clement. The Philly front office opted away from signing a veteran backup like Devonta Freeman or LeSean McCoy this offseason, instead opting to roll with their younger, more internal options in Scott and Clement.

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A practice squad call-up last season, Scott was fantastic for the Eagles in 2019, especially down the stretch. He finished the year with 449 total scrimmage yards and five touchdowns, capped off by a magnificent Week 17 performance against the New York Giants. Scott’s lighting quick speed and swift elusiveness proved insanely beneficial to the Eagles in the passing game, as he finished the season with a catch rate of 92.3% while averaging over eight yards per reception.

Clement on the other hand really hasn’t been an impactful player in the Eagles offense since his breakout rookie season in 2017. An undrafted rookie signing that year, Clement served as an impactful rotational back behind LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi, capping off the season with his stellar Super Bowl 52 performance.

Clement took a step back in 2018 when given a larger workload, and then really fell out of the team’s plans when he started struggling with injury. He didn’t see a single carry in 2019, but the Eagles brought him back regardless with the expectation that he was finally healthy again.

The Philadelphia Eagles went light on their backup RB position this offseason, with hopes that Sanders could evolve into a legit three-down franchise back this year. Sanders obviously had a monster rookie season once handed over the reigns, and the expectation was that he would only continue to improve.

However, with a now lingering hamstring injury being thrown into the mix, the team might be regretting that offseason decision. Clement and Scott are fine backups on the surface, but the idea of entrusting them with starting RB duties behind a weakened offensive line seems less than ideal. Week 1 against Washington will be a big enough problem as it is, but trying to run against someone like San Francisco or Baltimore might be flat out impossible without Sanders.

The Eagles did snag rookie RB Jason Huntley off waivers earlier this week, but he projects to be more of a special teamer early on.

Ultimately, this Sanders injury is really bad news. The Philadelphia Eagles were already crippled with injuries enough as it is, and this just adds to the disaster. Clement and Scott will now face the full burden going forward, and they’re really going to have to be special if this team wants their offense to look anything other than horrible come Sunday.