Philadelphia Eagles: Ranking the running backs rooms of the NFC East

In the NFC East, running the ball is a time-honored tradition.

Sure, making big throws is exciting and having top-tier quarterback play is the easiest way to win a division that hasn’t had a repeat winner since Andy Reid was the Philadelphia Eagles‘ head coach, but with three of the division’s four teams playing north of the Mason Dixon line, fielding a steady rushing attack is an easy way to help combat cold weather games just before the playoffs.

Fortunately, every team in the NFC East has as least one very good running back on their roster, so that knowledge isn’t lost on any of the general managers who call the division home either.

But which unit is the best? Let’s take a look at the running backs rooms across the division to see how each team stacks up against their peers.

4. New York Giants

If, in the summer of 2018, someone said that the New York Giants would have the worst running backs room in the NFC East, fans in the greater New York/New Jersey area would have lost it.

I mean, Dave Gettleman had just spent the second overall pick on one of the best running prospects of the last decade; how could the team’s rushing attack not be the cream of the NFC East, nay, the NFC’s crop?

Well, when you consider the fact that the player in question just can’t seem to stay healthy and his top backup, Matt Breida, only had 125 yards in 2021, that isn’t ideal at all.

Top performer: Saquon Barkley

If Saquon Barkley can play, he’s still one of the best home run-hitting rushers the NFL has to offer.

Unfortunately, that just doesn’t seem to happen all that often.

Over the past three seasons, Barkley has appeared in just 15 of a possible 33 games, and his yards-per-carry has dropped from a solid 4.8 over his first two seasons to just 3.5 over the last two. If Barkley can get back on track, or one of the Giants’ depth pieces can take on a more expansive role as a heavy-usage, between the tackles carries eater, maybe the Giants will surprise some people, but that’s easier said than done.