Philadelphia Eagles: Look out for Kennedy Brooks this fall

After turning in some very good games down the stretch in 2021, Jordan Howard is curiously not currently a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

I know, crazy, right? Though Howard didn’t initially make the Eagles’ roster coming out of a solid enough summer, the pride of Indiana/UAB rapidly became a valuable cog in Nick Sirianni’s offensive machine once he made his in-season debut in Week 8 and played so well that he was signed for the remainder of the season once his practice squad elevation eligibility ran out.

Despite only appearing in seven regular season games last fall, Howard rushed for 406 yards and three touchdowns in his sixth professional season – numbers that ranked third and fourth on the team, respectively.

So what gives? Howard hasn’t signed elsewhere like his crazy tenure in Miami at the start of the 2020 NFL season, and he remains on the open market for the Eagles – or anyone else really – to sign for nothing more than a veteran minimum contract.

Who knows, maybe it’s intentional. Maybe the 27-year-old’s camp is playing hardball and would like to secure their client a bit more job security. Maybe Howard would like a multi-year contract or just some guaranteed money to make another summer of insecurity a bit more palatable and is fine holding out until the Eagles cave.

Or maybe, just maybe, the Philadelphia Eagles have decided to go in a different direction and feel confident enough in their depth after signing Kennedy Brooks, Jalen Hurts’ former teammate at the University of Oklahoma, to a three-year contract with $240k guaranteed after failing to hear his name called in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Philadelphia Eagles might have something special in Kennedy Brooks.

Who led the NCAA in yards per carry during the 2021 NCAA season? Was it Kenneth Walker III? Or How about Breece Hall? James Cook, the other running back to go in the third round?

None of the above; no, that player was Oklahoma running back Kennedy Brooks, who just so happens to have joined the Philadelphia Eagles as a UDFA following his non-selection during the 2022 NFL Draft.

A three-time 1,000-yard rusher who finished out his run in Oklahoma with 198 total rushes for 3,320 yards and 13 total touchdowns, Brooks is a hard back to tie down into any one category. He’s good between the tackles and can punch through holes on his way to the second level of the defense but is just as effective running outside, especially in a read-option like the one he ran with Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts at OU. While his long speed is only average, his change-of-direction ability is actually pretty good, as is his ability to set up would-be tackers like a point guard in the pick-and-roll to avoid contact before it even arrives.

If Brooks was a few inches taller and weighed in right around 240, he probably would have been drafted in the middle of Day 3 by some RB-needy team looking for a power back between the tackles, but because he only clocked in at 5-foot-11, 209 pounds at the combine – which are very average numbers by NFL standards – fans outside of Norman largely overlooked the Oklahoma product during the predraft process.

Fortunately, the Eagles don’t really need an every-down back who can take 30 carries between the tackles 17 times over 18 weeks or a pass-catching specialist capable of being a three-down performer; they already have those spots filled. No, what the Eagles really need is another rusher who can rotate in with Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Kenneth Gainwell, especially if he can truck a little bit in a congested area.

As a UDFA, Brooks fits that bill pretty darn well.

Who knows, maybe Jordan Howard is just on vacation and will sign with the Philadelphia Eagles after the weekend? His performances were objectively good last season, and at just 27, he has plenty of good football left to play. But if he signs elsewhere, or the Eagles simply want to go with a younger player on a very affordable three-year deal, they could do a whole heck of a lot worse than Kennedy Brooks, who really should have been drafted based on his highlight reel alone.