Philadelphia Eagles: 3 ways Kenneth Gainwell will make an impact in ’21
By David Esser
Selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of this year’s NFL Draft, Kenneth Gainwell is actually a prospect that I like quite a bit. An explosive runner with above average receiving ability, the former Memphis running back should be able to make his presence felt as soon as his rookie season.
With the Eagles expected to rely on their ground game quite a bit this upcoming season, here are three ways I envision Gainwell making an impact within Nick Sirianni’s offense:
Running back by committee approach.
This logic has been thrown out quite a bit since Gainwell was drafted, and for good reason. The Indianapolis Colts heavily relied upon their “running back by committee approach” over the past couple of seasons.
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Nick Sirianni, the Colts’ former offensive coordinator, obviously played a big role in that approach.
Outside of Miles Sanders, the Eagles running back depth chart was looking rather shaky heading into this year’s offseasons. Boston Scott struggled last season following a rather exciting 2019 campaign, and the likes of Jason Huntley and Jordan Howard really shouldn’t be factored into any schematic plans at the moment.
In Gainwell, Sirianni now has himself a realistic RB2 option worthy of 10-15 touches a game. He successfully logged 2,000+ scrimmage yards during his final season at Memphis, easily handing 282 total touches on the season.
The Philadelphia Eagles should be expecting a big rookie season from Kenneth Gainwell.
Not only does Gainwell provide Sirianni with another weapon to use out of the backfield, but it also takes a good chunk of pressure off of Sanders’s shoulders, something that he could use after a less-than-impressive 2020 campaign.