The Philadelphia Eagles finally land Kerryon Johnson

Some players have seemingly been linked to the Philadelphia Eagles forever.

Like Mike Trout to the Phillies, Kyle Lowry to the Sixers, and JVC between trip with the Flyers, sometimes, a player captures the imagination of the entire city – or a small but vocal segment of an individual team’s fanbase – and the cries to one day make a dream pairing happen seemingly never go away no matter what takes place.

Well, as of today, May 7th, 2021, one of those dream players has officially come in for a landing, as Kerryon Johnson, a hard-nosed running back out of Auburn who has been linked to the Birds since pre-draft 2018, is finally, officially a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, having been claimed by the team off of waivers.

But wait, you maybe haven’t heard of Kerryon Johnson, or at least need a refresher on the former War Eagle? Let’s dig a little deeper to see if the former Detroit Lion is a genuine keeper or more of a camp body heading into 2021.

Can the Philadelphia Eagles bring back the old Kerryon Johnson?

More from Section 215

• 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
• Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
• 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
• Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
• Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles

In 2017, the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl based on an elite ground and pound game predicated on having one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and a pair of big, power runners in LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi.

Life was good, the formula was set, and with Carson Wentz set to return after suffering a mid-season torn ACL, the Eagles looked like they’d be an even better team as they geared up for a title defense.

That didn’t happen, of course; the Eagles lost Wentz once more and were an all-around worse team than in the season prior, but that at least was the idea heading into the 2018 NFL calendar year.

While the Eagles did lose their lead rusher, Blount, to the Detroit Lions in free agency, as the three-time Super Bowl champion signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal to reunite with Matt Patricia in the Motor City, the team was set to bring back Ajayi and Corey Clement to form a promising three-headed monster alongside Darren Sproles, who missed all but three games in 2017 due to a broken arm and ACL injury.

But there was a player many connected to the Eagles in the 2018 NFL Draft who could have helped to fill the shoes of Blount long-term and keep Doug Pederson’s offensive attack potent for years to come in Kerryon Johnson.

Measuring in at 5-foot-11, 211 pounds, Johnson made a name for himself at Auburn for his bruising north-to-south style of running and ability to attack the endzone with ease both out of the shotgun, under center, or as a wildcat quarterback shading future Patriot Jarrett Stidham. He amassed 2,494 rushing yards to go with 32 rushing touchdowns over three seasons with the War Eagles and finished out his career just 28 yards short of joining the 3,000-yard club.

Though some questioned the exact role Johnson would play at the NFL level, as he was a bit too slight to be a prototypical power back and too patient to be an effective weapon coast to coast, he was a consensus top-50 pick pretty much across the board. The Lions clearly liked Johnson so much that they traded up eight slots to guarantee themselves the Huntsville, Alabama native’s services, even if it cost an additional fourth-round pick to do so.

And to be fair, in 2018, Johnson looked every bit like a future starting running back.

Playing alongside Blount, Zach Zenner, and Theo Riddick, Johnson led the Lions’ running back by committee in rushing yards despite only receiving 29 percent of the team’s rushing attempts (second on the team) and looked every bit like a franchise rusher. With Bount not retained for the 2019 season, it looked like Johnson was perfectly set up to step into a larger role in his sophomore season… at least until the Lions actually took the field that fall.

Blame it on the Lions’ ineffective offense, the team’s lack of overall talent across their offensive line, or simply an inability to settle into a bigger role without Blount on the roster, but Johnson’s production was down across the board, with his yards per attempt dropping from 5.4 to 3.6 and his yards per game down a full 13.7 yards as a result. Had Johnson earned a bigger workload sans Blount, maybe he would have been able to overcome this burden, but he actually received seven fewer carries in two fewer games played and presented a big enough question mark that the Lions opted to draft D’Andre Swift in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft and sign Adrian Peterson to effectively ice out their former second-round pick.

If reports are to be believed, Johnson could have been had at the 2020 trade deadline for basically nothing, but no team bit on a running back in the middle of his worst professional season, and he was waived shortly after the 2021 NFL Draft despite the Lions only addressing their running back position in the seventh round with Oregon State rusher Jermar Jefferson.

Officially subjected to waivers, Johnson was claimed by the Philadelphia Eagles, marking the second-straight year where the Howie Roseman claimed a former Lion off the waiver wire. But where would Johnson fit in with his new team? Would he become the second coming of Blount, a Josh Adams clone, or simply a camp body who would compete with Jordan Howard for a roster spot?

Personally, I think it’s somewhere between two and three.

Unless a change of scenery really is all the doctor ordered to get the 24-year-old back to his Auburn form, Johnson will likely earn snaps at the power running back role in Nick Sirianni’s offense that was filled by Marlon Mack with the Colts. He’ll attempt to pick up yards between the tackles, get deployed as a pass blocker, and maybe even catch a few balls out of the backfield where his 4.52 speed could create matchups in the screen game.

If Johnson can do all of that at the same level or better than the 26-year-old Howard, he’ll probably earn a roster spot behind Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and 2021 fifth-round pick Kenneth Gainwell. And if not? Well, he’ll probably end up on waivers yet again, where he will hopefully be afforded another opportunity to prove his worth on a running back-needy team elsewhere.

Either way, landing Kerryon Johnson presents only upside for the Philadelphia Eagles, which is all you can ask for in a post-draft waiver wire claim.